


Going Magazine

by jadu_cheodo



Category: Monsta X (Band), SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Office, Barista Minhyuk, Eventual Smut, Flirting, M/M, Office crush, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-02-05
Packaged: 2021-03-12 06:46:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 29,876
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29006268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jadu_cheodo/pseuds/jadu_cheodo
Summary: The fumbles and bumbles of Kim Mingyu in his efforts to befriend and maybe, hopefully, eventually get with that one cute journalist who always glares at him during meetings.Bonus Hao and Junnie being perfect for each other and making Milestones; Hannie and Cheol being the most adorably obnoxious bosses anyone could ask for; and Maknae Line interns, who really just want to get out of this with enough padding for their resumes and maybe a job offer or two, or three honestly...
Relationships: Boo Seungkwan/Chwe Hansol | Vernon, Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups/Yoon Jeonghan, Kim Mingyu/Lee Seokmin | DK, Wen Jun Hui | Jun/Xu Ming Hao | The8
Comments: 24
Kudos: 58





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> To make this clear (because for some reason the site isn't letting me have Gyu/Seok as the main pair) this is a GyuSeok fic with side JunHao, JeongCheol, and VerKwan... Sorry if anything was confusing/misleading, idk how to use technology
> 
> Inspired by Mangyu's Going Magazine ep...  
> I have no original ideas anymore, thanks boys

Mingyu knows he’s a flirt.

He enjoys it, and he always keeps it fairly harmless.

Getting nervous giggles out of others is something of a pastime for him, and it’s not like he’s doing much damage anyway. 

He’s sure his regular barista doesn’t find his flirting taxing, especially when it earns him the occasional free pastry, and the bank teller isn’t going to complain about how few shirt buttons he has done up when he leans on the counter to hear her better.

The flirting works well for him… most of the time.

The withering glare Minghao gives him barely registers as Mingyu watches him minimize his desktop folder, he jabs Mingyu’s back with a bony hand.

“Get your ass off my desk, I eat here.”

Mingyu pouts, making a show of folding his long legs into his chest as he sinks into the tiny stool Minghao points at.

“Hao I think he hates me.”

The stylist brushes a nonexistent piece of lint from his sweater vest. It’s horrific, frankly, the colors are all too bright, and there’s a giant roaring tiger head printed in the middle. Somehow, Minghao’s made it work, though.

He stares past Mingyu, through the glass walls of his office to the empty hallway,

“He doesn’t hate you.”

He looks back at Mingyu, giggling at his pout,

“Just because someone doesn’t get all hot and bothered when you talk to them doesn’t mean they hate you. Get used to it Gyu, it’s not that abnormal.”

Mingyu whines, scooting his stool closer to Minghao and doubling down on his pout,

“I know that Hao. But, I think he actually doesn’t like me, you should’ve seen him at the concept meeting, I swear I’ve never seen him not smile for so long.”

Minghao huffs, poking Mingyu’s shin with a loafered foot until he backs up, he turns back to his desktop,

“Seokmin doesn’t hate you… speak of the devil… Hi Minnie!”

_"Minnie?"_

Mingyu dodges Minghao’s glare, crossing his legs in an attempt to look suave as he tries not to fall off his stool. Seokmin smiles from the door, eye crinkles disappearing as he notices Mingyu,

“I’m doing a coffee run, the interns are looking a little grey. You two want anything?”

Minghao beams, Mingyu hides his scoff in his elbow, clearing his throat.

“Oh you’re so sweet! I’m not drinking coffee anymore, but I’d love a tea, Pu’er if they have it.”

Seokmin nods, tapping out Minghao’s order on his phone, he looks at Mingyu, perfect brows arching up a tick,

“Gyu?”

Mingyu’s brain buffers,

“Just uh… just a coffee’s fine. Thanks.”

Seokmin nods, locking his phone and shoving it back in his pocket, Minghao’s elbow connects solidly with two of Mingyu’s ribs,

“Are you going to need a hand with that?”

Seokmin hums,

“A hand would be nice, thanks.”

He holds the door open, waiting for Mingyu to unfold from his tiny seat.

Mingyu’s been at _**Going Magazine**_ for four years, hired right out of college through a post-grad internship program. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the company feels like his adult family, the small team interacting more like friends than coworkers. That’s the way Seungcheol wants it to be, which is why he’s quick to hire people like Seokmin. The journalist is able to put anyone and everyone at ease, all it takes is a toothy smile or a bright laugh and he’s got people opening up to him as if they’ve known him their whole life.

Mingyu watches Seokmin wave to the security guards, eyes crinkling at the corners as he grins and shimmies through the employee exit.

It probably helps that Seokmin literally radiates kindness, and Mingyu’s sure his looks help a bit too. 

He’s handsome in a way that makes parents and the elderly quick to coddle him, spending a bit of extra time to make sure his seat is comfortable, or to offer him a cup of tea so that his gentle voice doesn’t get tired over the course of their interview. People in their own age cohort will answer any question he asks if he smiles the right way and edges a bit closer, just as they’re about to divulge a secret, because his face is nothing if not trustworthy. One memorable story they did landed them at Lotte World, and Seokmin couldn’t get three feet without another child coming up and asking if he was a prince.

Mingyu would be lying if he said he wasn’t a bit envious of Seokmin’s social graces. Where Seokmin’s looks tend to help him, Mingyu’s can be a bit of a hindrance. He’s a bit too big and a bit too intimidating for some, his clumsy tendencies and rushed manner of speech making conversations short and direct rather than long and descriptive.

Though it isn’t his job to make people open up, his camera does that for him.

Mingyu’s morning barista is still behind the counter, he smiles as he takes their order, Seokmin reading off drinks at a slow enough pace that he can find each item easily. His round eyes dart between the two of them, as he takes Seokmin’s card,

“I didn’t know you two worked together.”

Seokmin laughs, bending to scribble his signature on the offered receipt,

“We have different coffee patterns, I’m sure Gyu’s only getting a refill cause I’m buying.”

Mingyu looks up from where Seokmin’s button up is being pulled taught by his shoulders,

“You know my coffee pattern?”

Seokmin laughs again, but the sound is a little clipped,

“You bring a cup to every meeting, all our meetings are in the morning… it’s not a difficult connection. Thanks Minhyuk-hyung.”

He takes his card back, turning before he can catch the wink Minhyuk shoots their way. Mingyu digs in his pocket for his wallet, pulling out a five and leaning in as he stuffs it in the tip jar, Minhyuk hums, eyes laughing,

“Office crush? Babe, I think you’ve been friendzoned.”

Mingyu glances over at Seokmin, who’s chewing on his lip, legs folded at the ankles as he leans on the pickup counter, staring at his phone. It brings attention to his thighs, and his mouth… and his hands. Minhyuk chuckles, patting Mingyu’s arm before walking off to the espresso machine.

“Can’t blame you for trying.”

Mingyu takes three of the four cardboard drink carriers, hooking one on a thumb and shimmying away when Seokmin grabs for it, he nods at his ID lanyard,

“It’ll be easier if one of us has a free hand. Honestly, how were you going to get all this on your own?”

Seokmin shrugs, cool fingers tickling Mingyu’s neck as he eases the cord over his head. He’s close enough that Mingyu can smell his cologne, it’s warm and spiced, with a subtle hit of bitter citrus, Mingyu vaguely wonders what it is.

They make it back with minimal spills, Seokmin grabs the third drink carrier as soon as they get through the security gates, both their IDs shoved in his shirt pocket.

Mingyu helps him pass out drinks, trailing behind as he winds through the office.

Jeonghan takes his latte with a grin, peering up at Mingyu in a way that has him wanting to hightail it back to his desk as fast as he can. Seokmin giggles behind him, and Mingyu head fizzes, he’s never heard him giggle before, it’s delicious. 

Jeonghan’s eyes narrow, as if he just has to squint to be able to see straight through Mingyu’s skull,

“Thanks for the coffee Minnie,” his voice lilts jeeringly, “so nice of you to be a sherpa Gyu.”

Mingyu frowns, accepting the thanks with a shrug.

A tap on his desk makes Mingyu look up, he pulls his glasses off, stretching his neck as Minghao smiles at him,

“Want a lift home?”

Mingyu yawns, nodding and wiggling his feet. Minghao watches him shrug his coat on, head resting on the doorframe, it flattens his curly mullet, Mingyu coos at him,

“Junnie?”

Minghao nods, cheeks dusting pink. Mingyu cackles, tossing his bag over his shoulder and following Minghao down the hall.

“Did you tell him he’s your boyfriend yet?”

Minghao stares at the elevator floor display, refusing to make eye contact,

“We’re not dating.”

Mingyu hums, enjoying himself immensely,

“Right, sure. How many nights have you actually stayed in your own apartment this month?”

Minghao glares, Mingyu gloats. Minghao’s silence as they leave the building doesn’t bode well, he waves at a sleek black sedan, smiling when the driver honks, hand sticking over the roof of the car to wave back.

Minghao yanks the passenger door open, sliding in gracefully, Mingyu clambers into the back,

“I’m seeing Seokmin this weekend, Gyu. Watch yourself.”

Junhui chuckles, waiting for seatbelts to click before pulling off the curb,

“What’s this about?”

Minghao sighs, Mingyu doesn’t miss the way Jun’s hand immediately goes to his thigh, and stays,

“Gyu’s crush, you remember Seokmin?”

Mingyu splutters, Jun hums thoughtfully, slowing to a stop at a red light,

“I don’t think I’m familiar.”

“I don’t have a crush on him. Why are you seeing him this weekend?”

Jun cackles and Mingyu groans, he’d forgotten that Jun could often be just as, if not more needling than Minghao.

“He has a wedding, I’m helping him get dressed.”

Mingyu freezes and Minghao’s eyes soften in the rearview mirror,

“It’s not his wedding, idiot. His sister is getting married.”

Jun whines as they hit another red,

“Why do you care if you don’t have a crush?”

Mingyu shrugs, then chokes, shrinking in his seat as he stares out the window, Minghao giggles,

“What’s with him today? He keeps popping up when we’re talking about him. That’s him.”

Jun hums, hands busy as he pulls over a lane and rolls Mingyu’s window down, turning on his blinkers and honking,

“He’s cute. Let’s give him a lift.”

Seokmin doesn’t notice them for a while, though he frowns and scans the street when Jun continues to honk. He finally spots Mingyu, eyes going wide with shock as he rushes over to the car, stepping back as Mingyu pushes the door open.

“Want a ride home?”

Seokmin peers in the front seat cautiously, smiling when Minghao turns and waves. He glances up at the traffic light, ducking in and shutting the door just as it turns green.

His pointy nose is a little pink from the cold, Mingyu moves his bag out of the middle seat, making space.

“Thanks, sorry, I was so confused, I didn’t expect this at all.”

Jun chuckles pulling his phone out of the dashboard holder and giving it to Minghao to pass back,

“That’s why it’s fun. Put your address in, you can add a stop on our trip.”

Seokmin takes the phone, pulling his own out of his pocket and pausing the song he’s listening to, leaving it on the leather seat as he types. Mingyu glances at it, Yang Da Il, he hadn’t pegged Seokmin as a ballad fan.

Seokmin glances up at Jun while he types,

“Sorry, I don’t mean to be rude, but who are you?”

Jun laughs, Mingyu watches Minghao’s ears go pink as he clears his throat,

“This is Junhui, Jun, he’s my boyfriend.”

The car goes quiet for a beat, Jun glances over at Minghao, quirking an eyebrow and grinning when Minghao swats him,

“That I am… And you’re Seokmin? Minghao’s talked about you before.”

Seokmin beams, pulling on his seat belt so he can lean forward and hand the phone back, Mingyu watches the tendons in his neck flare,

“I hope he says nice things.”

Minghao wiggles in his seat, turning so he can pout at Seokmin,

“Of course I say nice things!”

Seokmin coos and strokes his hair, eyes soft as Minghao preens, Mingyu shrinks in his seat. He jumps when Seokmin turns, trying not read into the caution that settles into the corners of his mouth as he blinks up at him.

“Looks like we’re neighbors Gyu.”

He smiles shyly and Mingyu can’t seem to get any sound to come out of his mouth. Minghao scrolls ahead on the map,

“Oh wow, you really are!”

Mingyu peers at the phone, Seokmin’s building is barely far away enough to be it’s own dot, he tries to visualize the area,

“Are you by the dog park? The tall building that looks like someone put a jello mold on the top of an eggplant, but, like, really long?”

Seokmin snorts, head thrown back as he laughs. Ok, maybe Mingyu does have a crush, a small one.

“I guess it does kind of look like that! I usually say it looks like it’s made of Duplo, those supersized little kid legos.”

Mingyu watches Jun and Minghao exchange a look, his cheeks heat up. Seokmin seems to have relaxed, he takes his airpods out, fitting them into a case in his bag’s outer pocket. He loosens his tie, making quick work of his top two buttons and mussing his hair; it’s a pale auburn that just toes the line between a very light, honey brown, and full on ginger. Mingyu thinks it’s his favorite of all the colors Seokmin’s had, except maybe black.

Seokmin’s eyes are bright when he looks back, Mingyu watches his tongue flit between his lips,

“Do you ever go to the dog park?”

Mingyu takes a moment too long to respond, eyes stuck on Seokmin’s little mole, he giggles and Mingyu’s stomach drops. Maybe his crush isn’t that small after all.

“I don’t have a dog, I go when my mom visits, she brings our dogs sometimes.”

Seokmin hums,

“Wow, I’m in a similar situation. Though usually my family drops the dogs off with me, I’m like a puppy hotel.”

He fiddles with his phone,

“Want to see?”

Mingyu nods, he’d never say no to dog photos.

He doesn’t need to hold Seokmin’s hand, keeping him from letting go as he brings the phone closer to his face, fingers brushing the soft skin of the back of his hand. Seokmin’s wrist feels nicely delicate under the heel of his palm, Mingyu notices that his nails are perfectly trimmed, so much so that he’d wonder if they were manicured if he didn’t already know that Seokmin keeps a set of nail clippers at his desk.

There are two small dogs, a white one, who looks a lot like Babpul, and a brown one. Seokmin smiles at the photo as he pulls his hand back,

“They’re Wooju and Coco. Coco’s actually my uncle’s dog, but we get along well, so she stays over when he goes on business trips.”

Mingyu hums, leaning over as he scrolls through his camera roll, pulling up the last photo his mom sent. Seokmin’s eyes nearly disappear as he smiles, reaching out and zooming in on each pup, he laughs at Aji’s expression, stroking the screen with his finger.

“That’s Aji, she’s a tiny demon, but I love her. The other one’s Babpul, she’s much calmer.”

Seokmin coos,

“Aji’s little sweater is so cute, she does have crazy eyes though.”

Mingyu laughs, humming as he puts his phone away,

“It’s pretty crazy that we’ve never run into each other, not even on the train.”

Seokmin nods,

“Yeah, it’s kind of amazing.”

They’re quiet the rest of the ride. Mingyu watches Seokmin’s leg bounce as he stares out the window, the city lights reflecting in his dark irises. He looks over just in time to catch Mingyu staring and smiles timidly, eyes loosing their open warmth. Just like that Mingyu’s back to square one, unable to manage the easy smirk that would usually save him from these situations.

Mingyu watches him disappear as they drive away, a shrinking dark silhouette until he’s obscured by street trees. 

Jun hums, Minghao sighs, interrupting Mingyu before he can get a word out,

“He doesn’t hate you. You just don’t know how to flirt with someone who puts feelings before sex.”

Even Jun winces, Mingyu feels somewhat vindicated.

“Always so blunt, Hao.”

“I’m not wrong.”

Mingyu sighs,

“I didn’t say you were.”

Jun rolls to a stop gently, turning back to Mingyu with an apologetic smile,

“I think you have a shot, he’s sweet.”

Minghao groans, glaring at Jun before turning to Mingyu, reaching out to pat his shoulder gently,

“I think you have a shot too, Gyu. Just keep it to the cute dog photos and not…”

He gestures vaguely at his torso and Jun giggles,

“What, he’s just going to walk into work shirtless?”

Mingyu groans, Minghao’s glare doubles in intensity,

“Don’t tempt him, you haven’t seen what he’s like at clubs.”

Mingyu grabs for his bag,

“It works!”

“I know it does, it’s horrible.”

Mingyu’s face burns, but Jun’s laugh soothes him. His eyes are bright as he watches Mingyu leave the car, and his fingers in Minghao’s hair have made his friend’s frown all but disappear,

“Don’t let sourpuss get you down, the confidence is good. I’ll see you around Gyu!”

Mingyu nods, waving as he shuts the door. Minghao smiles through the window, long fingers tapping the glass as he waves.

Mingyu’s chest feels warm as he jogs the few feet to his building lobby, he thinks Jun might be exactly what Minghao needs, it feels good to see his friends so happy.

Mingyu’s apartment feels unusually empty when he steps inside, he turns on a movie, but it doesn’t help. He considers calling his mom, or his sister, but a glance at the clock tells him they’ll have already sat down to dinner, so he makes a note to catch up with them on the weekend. He falls asleep on his couch, just awake enough to turn the tv off before everything goes dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This started as something of a case study of the 97z dynamics (I love them so much), though I defo tamped down Seok and Mingyu's bickering.  
> Wen Junhui is boyfriend of the fucking millennia...  
> Dog pictures are a great flirting avenue...
> 
> I will update, I have a lot of this written already, I just wasn't feeling happy with it  
> (PS Sorry if insert Minhyuk feels lonely, I haven't figured out if/how I will work in his boyz)


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More flirting, Mingyu gets found out... by everyone except the one person who probably should know

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the sake of the Maknae line, do not fear, these are paid internships... what does Mingyu actually do at work? I don't know...

Mingyu’s incredibly embarrassed. Of all the days he could’ve shown up without his ID card, it had to be the day they were training a new security guard and therefore, weren’t going to let him in until he either found the card, or called Seungcheol.

Seungcheol’s voice comes on for the third time, and for the third time Mingyu’s hopes rise before he realizes that it’s a recording asking him to kindly leave a message with his contact information. Recording Seungcheol begins to assure him that he’ll respond in a timely manner and Mingyu hangs up, taking a couple deep breaths to discourage his blood pressure from rising any more than it already has.

A hand taps his shoulder and Mingyu whips around, immediately regretting it as Seokmin shrinks back, smiling through a wince. He looks a little roughed up, his hair isn’t sitting as nicely as it usually does and his coat is balled up in his hands. His cheeks are flushed and he’s breathing a little hard, it makes Mingyu’s stomach flip, he’s cute, was his hair always that curly?

“Hi, sorry, I ran.”

Mingyu nods, accepting the apology even though he doesn’t know what it’s for. Seokmin digs in his pocket, pulling out Mingyu’s lanyard and handing it to him with an apologetic pout. It’s warm, and the lanyard has been wound into a neat little coil, tucked in on itself so it stays put.

“I forgot to give it back after we got coffee.”

Mingyu laughs dryly, motioning for Seokmin to go ahead as he waves the ID at the security booth, they give him a thumbs up.

“Your pocket is honestly the best place it could have been, I was so worried I’d left it in Jun’s car.”

Seokmin chuckles, letting himself through the gates. Mingyu notices that the tag on his cardigan is sticking up and fights the urge to fix it as he follows him through.

He fails when they get to the elevator and Seokmin practically jumps out of his skin, cheeks flushing as Mingyu’s fingers graze his nape. The little demon in Mingyu’s head preens, _someone’s sensitive_.

“You doing ok?”

Seokmin frowns, carding his fingers through his hair as Mingyu presses the button for their floor, it’s definitely never been this curly before,

“I had a rough morning… it’s actually pretty pathetic. My charger died, so my phone wasn’t charged, so my alarm didn’t ring, so I woke up late,”

His voice tips into a false sob,

“So I missed my train, and then the next one was packed and got stuck two stops away cause it was too heavy, so I got off and just ran.”

Mingyu tries to picture Seokmin, coat in hand, running through the autumnal streets of Seoul, it looks like something out of a drama. He hums sympathetically, brushing a strand of hair off Seokmin’s forehead, stomach fluttering when Seokmin sighs and drops his shoulders as he leans in, just a bit.

“I’m impressed, all that and you’re only ten minutes late, you must run pretty fast.”

Seokmin laughs, smile bright as he steps into their office,

“I was on the track team in college, I’d be pretty sad if I’ve completely lost it in only four years.”

Mingyu’s brain floods with images of Seokmin in teeny-tiny, completely minuscule runners shorts, it’s a lot, maybe too much for so early in the morning. Seokmin frowns at him, gate slowing as they near Mingyu’s office,

“Not enough coffee? Did I talk your ear off?”

Mingyu looks down at his empty hands, grateful for the save,

“Sorry, it’s not you. I guess I’m more of a slave to the bean than I thought.”

Seokmin chuckles, and Mingyu is a little startled by how quickly he wants to hear the sound again, he peeks at the clock behind Mingyu’s head, leaning on his doorframe. His trousers pull taught across his hips and as much as Mingyu would really love to have him just stand there so he can keep staring, he doesn’t have enough (any) caffein in him to control his brain, so he needs Seokmin to leave… quickly.

Seokmin hums, and it’s pretty, just like the rest of him. Mingyu takes a long, slow breath, he doesn’t know what happened, but it wasn’t this bad yesterday. Is it the messy hair? Maybe… Probably…

“What?”

Seokmin’s smile vanishes, Mingyu mentally kicks himself,

“Sorry, I completely zoned out for a second there, I didn’t hear you.”

Seokmin chews on his lip and Mingyu’s brain whizzes the motion onto a list of nervous ticks,

“I figured I probably screwed up your usual morning routine… so I thought I could come get you when I take my morning coffee break? I could also just pick something up for you, if you don’t want to go down.”

Mingyu starts nodding before Seokmin even finishes, holding him in the doorway with a light touch on the arm,

“Yeah, hang on a sec, I think I have a portable charger in here somewhere.”

He doesn’t, but he finds a spare charger in the bottom of his drawer and holds it up triumphantly,

“Yes, come get me when it’s time for coffee, hang on to that until you can get a new one.”

Seokmin beams and Mingyu doesn’t even fight the butterflies that erupt into his chest.

Half the company is in Minghao’s office when Mingyu pushes the door open, he starts to back out, then catches the pleading glance Minghao throws his way and stays, tiptoeing over to Chan and leaning on him until he whines. Hansol chuckles, Seungkwan glares.

“What are you babies doing here? Shouldn’t you be slaving over spreadsheets?”

Seungkwan’s eye roll is a hair too similar to Jeonghan’s for comfort, Mingyu stands up,

“Cheol-hyung wanted us to see how Myungho-hyung does his idea boards for shoots.”

Mingyu nods, watching Minghao’s whispering get a little more aggressive as Seungcheol pouts at him,

“And, let me guess, he doesn’t want to show you.”

Hansol nods, face as placid as the surface of a frozen lake,

“It’s all fine though, I’ll say I spent this time learning about interpersonal relationships, communication strategies, and company power hierarchy on my resume. I’m learning a lot.”

Seungkwan looks at him like he’s grown a second head, Hansol grins,

“Why are you here, hyung?”

Mingyu falters, looking into Hansol’s ridiculously clear eyes and feeling his soul shrivel, Chan pipes up from under his elbow,

“He’s here to gossip, that’s basically the only reason he ever comes here.”

Mingyu can’t refute that, he looks over at Minghao and Seungcheol, who are still whisper-arguing furiously, then down at the interns,

“You’re all young… hip…”

Hansol giggles, Chan pushes Mingyu’s arm off his head,

“Hyung, please never start a conversation like that ever again.”

Mingyu nods, peering down the hallway to make sure it’s empty, not that anyone could hear him, the door is closed.

“Is it weird to buy someone you like an alarm clock if they haven’t asked for one and also don’t know that you like them?”

Hansol hums, brows furrowing,

“By _‘like’_ you mean you have a thing for them?”

Mingyu shrugs, trying to play it nonchalant, Seungkwan stifles his snort in Hansol’s shoulder. Chan stares, mouth falling open,

“You have a crush on Seokmin-hyung?!”

Mingyu gapes elegantly, Minghao’s giggles explode from his desk, Seungcheol’s shoulders shake with silent laughter, and he’s biting his lip so hard that it’s turned white.

“I didn’t say… that…”

Chan scoffs, volume at a ten when Mingyu would really like it to be at a two, or maybe zero,

“He came in late today cause he doesn’t have an alarm that isn’t his phone. You like Seokmin-hyung.”

Jeonghan snorts and Mingyu jumps, he hadn’t even noticed him. Though that’s probably because he’s folded into the stool Minghao made him sit on yesterday, and unless he peeks around Seungcheol’s legs he’s completely hidden,

“Everyone likes Seokminnie,” he pauses, “Except you Hansol-ah, we respect the hets here.”

Hansol shakes his head, Seungkwan hides another bout of giggles in his sleeve,

“I appreciate the sentiment Jeonghan-hyung, but I’m fully bisexual. Seokmin-hyung’s stupid hot, Chan, dude, you’re sooo lucky.”

Seungcheol’s pout makes Hansol wince, Jeonghan slaps his thigh.

“No… I mean, you’re like my work dad, that’d just be weird. Seokmin-hyung is like my friend’s really nice, really hot work older brother.”

He freezes, brows furrowing comically, Chan and Seungkwan both hit him,

“I just made that weird for myself, never mind.”

Chan pats his shoulder, Mingyu stares,

“How do you know why he was late today?”

Chan’s eye roll is on par with Seungkwan’s, it’s impressive,

“Honestly hyung, what do you do during meetings? Seokmin-hyung is my supervisor, I’m a journalism student… I’m the journalism intern.”

Mingyu pouts, eyes downcast as he nods silently, Minghao and Jeonghan’s laughs ricochets off the walls, Seungcheol snorts.

There’s a tap on the door and everyone falls silent, Mingyu almost hides behind Chan, then decides against it, fidgeting as Seokmin pushes the door open, eyes wide as he surveys the room. He clears his throat,

“Did I miss something, do we have a meeting? I, uh, I was looking for Mingyu.”

Chan pinches Mingyu’s back, Mingyu ignores him, giving Seokmin a little wave. His curls have fluffed up a bit, and they flutter in the breeze from the door as it swings shut.

Jeonghan’s voice pipes up from behind Seungcheol, Mingyu watches Seokmin try to find him,

“No meeting here, just gossip. Did you get a perm Seokminnie? I like this messy look you have going today, it’s very soft.”

Seokmin’s cheeks go pink and Mingyu’s insides flip,

“No, my hair’s naturally curly, I had a bit of a rough morning.”

Jeonghan hums, as if he hadn’t just heard Chan and Mingyu’s discussion of Seokmin’s morning,

“What do you need Mingyu for?”

Seokmin’s blush deepens, he ruffles the hair at the back of his head, smiling at Mingyu apologetically,

“He was going to join me on my coffee run, but, um… Now that you’re all here I guess we should do another group order, that’s fair, right?”

Seungcheol pats his pockets, looking down at Jeonghan who sighs and stands, pulling his billfold out of a trouser pocket and passing it to Seungcheol, who pulls out the company card. It gets passed across the room until it reaches Seokmin, who takes it cautiously,

“What does everyone want?”

Mingyu fidgets as everyone lists out their orders. It takes five minutes, a solid two of which are spent in a stare down between Hansol and Seungcheol, for Hansol to let them buy him something.

Seokmin stuffs his phone in his pocket, clearly ready to leave on his own. Jeonghan’s nasal voice pierces through the room,

“Don’t forget your sherpa!”

Mingyu turns, then looks down, Jeonghan shrugs,

“Would you prefer bellhop? Porter?”

Seokmin clears his throat, Mingyu shuffles a little closer,

“You don’t have to come Gyu, I’ll manage.”

Jeonghan’s smirk is audible,

“I’m sure you can, but why don’t you tag along anyway, Gyu. I think those big hands of yours could be very useful.”

If the insinuation registers, it doesn’t show. Mingyu holds the door open for Seokmin, sending a withering glare in Jeonghan’s direction before following him out.

Mingyu heaves out a sigh as they wait for the elevator, Seokmin chuckles sympathetically,

“Jeonghan-hyung can be a bit much sometimes. Thanks for coming, I feel bad.”

Mingyu frowns,

“Why? You got me out of there.”

Seokmin shrugs, pressing the button for the lobby. His shoulders drop when the door finally closes and Mingyu wants to rub the tension he can see in them away.

“I don’t know, I made you late, now I’m making you carry coffee.”

Mingyu takes a chance and pats his shoulder, giddy when Seokmin smiles appreciatively,

“You kept my ID safe and now you’re getting me free coffee, the least I can do is help you carry it.”

Seokmin’s stare lingers, he clears his throat,

“What’d you go to Minghao for? I figured you’d be there, but I wasn’t expecting everyone else.”

Mingyu grins,

“I wasn’t either! Cheol-hyung was trying to get Hao to show the interns his idea boards. I just wanted Minghao to tell me how his date night went.”

Seokmin laughs, and it rings genuine, his eyes curving into crescents as his head falls back. He follows Mingyu through the lobby, smile lingering.

There’s no line again, Mingyu pokes Seokmin’s side as he hands over Seungcheol’s card,

“Is this why you come now? I’ve never seen it this dead.”

Seokmin lips twitch into a grin,

“Yeah, I don’t have the patience for the morning crowd, and I like being able to chat with Minhyuk-hyung.”

He looks around, their barista is nowhere in sight, the girl at the register smiles,

“He took today off, he’s doing a long weekend trip with some friends.”

Seokmin hums cheerily,

“Well, good to hear he isn’t sick. Thank you.”

The girl nods, passing him a receipt and walking off. Mingyu trails Seokmin to the pickup counter, startling when he turns abruptly.

“Do you know Jun well?”

Mingyu thinks, leaning on the counter, and staring at the floor,

“Not super well, we’ve met a couple of times. But I really like him, I actually think he’s exactly the type of person Minghao needs in his life.”

Seokmin hums and Mingyu thinks he spots a hint of a flush when he looks up,

“That’s nice, I think they’re really cute. I didn’t expect Minghao to be involved with someone so… playful.”

Mingyu nods, contemplating crossing the fragile line that’s keeping the conversation impersonal. He crosses it,

“Do you— Do you have anyone?”

Seokmin blinks owlishly, lips pursing as his flush creeps into his cheeks,

“Me? No… no, not right now.”

Mingyu giggles nervously, adrenaline pumping,

“Waiting? Or just need some time to yourself?”

Seokmin nibbles at his lower lip, Mingyu’s heart hammers in his ears,

“Um… neither really, I guess I’m just tired of chasing, so I’m waiting for someone to… you know. You?”

Mingyu swallows the lump in his throat,

“The same… I guess. I’m not really looking, but I’m also open to um… if someone came along I wouldn’t say no.”

He can’t take his eyes off Seokmin’s lips, he wants to ask who he was chasing, but it doesn’t seem appropriate,

“I can’t imagine you’d have to wait very long.”

Seokmin blinks and Mingyu wonders what his lashes would feel like fluttering against his skin, but his dark eyes have gone guarded again, and he smiles at Mingyu cautiously. Mingyu flounders,

“Sorry, sorry. You’re just… you’re nice.”

Seokmin hums, and his flush has traveled into his ears, Mingyu wants to know if any other parts of his body are flushed. Seokmin’s tongue darts across his upper lip, Mingyu looks at his shoes.

“Thanks Gyu, you’re nice too.”

The barista clears her throat, Mingyu flashes an apologetic smile, taking three of the drink containers and waiting as Seokmin collects the fourth. He bends so that Seokmin can take his ID, deflating a little when his fingers are so careful that they barely touch Mingyu’s skin.

Seokmin puts his lanyard back on when they’re in the elevator. Mingyu lets his breath feather over Seokmin’s neck, mouth watering as Seokmin suppresses a tiny shudder, goose bumps raising on his skin as he takes a step back.

He doesn’t smell like his cologne today, but he still smells faintly citrusy, so Mingyu wonders if it’s his shampoo.

They split the office in half, each taking two of the drink carriers and passing out beverages. Mingyu pouts to himself as he carries his coffee back to his office. He’s grateful to not have to withstand Jeonghan’s teasing, but even just ten more minutes with Seokmin would make him immeasurably happy.

He sinks into his chair with a groan, this is why he never used to let himself get crushes, pining hurts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to thank God, Buddha, and my cat for Kelly Clarkson office SVT; I knew that little bub was rooting for my dreams... Cardigan Seok? Glasses Sol? I never knew dress shirts and slacks could be so disastrous.  
> Intern Nonnie is the manifestation of my internal monologues during one of my last internships, trust me, anything can be work experience if you find the right wording for it...
> 
> Please yell at me in the comments if you'd be so kind, I'd love feedback


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chit chat and chicken... and mooore flirting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mingyu's got game

A tap on his doorframe makes Mingyu look up, Seokmin smiles shyly, lower lip pulling between his teeth as Mingyu takes his glasses off, more than a little startled,

“Hi!”

“Hi… Any chance you’d want to split a cab?”

Mingyu glances at his clock, Seokmin shifts nervously,

“It’s ok if you don’t, I can take the train.”

Mingyu saves his files, grabbing a folder off his desk and shoving it in its drawer,

“No, splitting a cab sounds great, I’ll just pack up.”

He gestures at the only spare chair in his office, stuffing things in his bag as Seokmin sits.

Seokmin is quiet during the elevator ride down, lips pushed into a pout as he zones out, Mingyu tries not to stare.

A couple cabs pass, but they all have passengers, Mingyu pulls out his phone, hailing a taxi and tucking it away before Seokmin notices. He looks tired, in a way that has as much to do with emotional exhaustion as it does physical. 

Mingyu crosses another line,

“Feel free to say no…”

Seokmin frowns, shoulders drawing up as a gust of wind hits them.

“Do you want to come over? We can order chicken… or, whatever… I just, you seem like you need a friend… I wouldn’t feel good if I left you alone right now.”

Seokmin blinks at him and Mingyu swears his eyes get slightly teary, though it’s gone quickly and could easily be a result of the night's blustery winds. He clears his throat,

“I’d like that… if it’s ok with you.”

Mingyu smiles,

“Wouldn’t have offered if it wasn’t.”

Whatever’s bothering him isn’t alleviated by Mingyu’s offer, but Seokmin’s smile starts to come a little quicker when he catches Mingyu staring, he even starts laughing when Mingyu answers a quirked brow with a shrug.

The cab ride is virtually silent, Mingyu realizes that his breathing is picking up as they pull up to his apartment.

Seokmin follows him quietly, hands folded politely, Mingyu’s heart pounds furiously, he sighs.

It’s not a date and it’s not a hookup, it’s two friends having dinner, he needs to calm down. Though in his defense, he’s more or less conditioned this response into himself, there’s only one reason he would’ve brought someone like Seokmin home in the past.

Minghao’s words ring in his head, feelings before sex.

Mingyu opens his door with an easy grin,

“This is me, come on in.”

Seokmin toes his shoes off, looking around as Mingyu turns lights on, he spots something out the window and laughs,

“I guess it does really look like a jello mold from here.”

He joins Mingyu in the living room, getting close so he can point out the building,

“That’s my place, somewhere around the middle, left.”

Mingyu’s hand starts to go to the small of Seokmin’s back, he stops it, dropping onto the sofa,

“I still can’t believe we’ve never run into each other.”

Seokmin hums, sinking onto the couch when Mingyu pats it, getting up quickly to pull his collection of takeout flyers off his fridge.

Seokmin laughs a couple times as they sift through their options, pointing out which flyers he has hanging on his fridge.

They settle on chicken, from a place that gives a lot of free garlic sauce, with an extra order of cheese balls and churros with chocolate sauce, because sugar helps you feel better.

Seokmin wraps himself in Mingyu’s comforter as they wait,

“Do you have two of these? I’d never thought of keeping one on the couch.”

Mingyu flushes,

“No, I slept here last night. I have a bad habit of falling asleep to movies, I just started leaving it out here.”

Seokmin nods, long fingers kneading the fabric, Mingyu feels the butterflies in his stomach swarm. He stands, his clothes feel too small,

“I’m gonna change, do you want to borrow some clothes? I don’t want you to ruin your work things.”

Seokmin looks down at his sweater,

“Sure, thanks, that’s so nice of you, Gyu.”

Mingyu shrugs away the thanks, disappearing into his room.

He digs through his drawers, finding a pair of sweats and a shirt that he deems comfy enough and jogging out to the living room to hand it off. He points out the bathroom before he goes back to his room, so Seokmin doesn’t feel like he has to change in front of the living room window.

He pulls on a pair of track pants and a white t-shirt, pleased with the way the shirt shows off his body, but not in way that makes it obvious that that’s what he’s going for.

Seokmin’s back on the sofa when he pads out, Mingyu spots his reflection in the window and wants to scream. He’s drowning in Mingyu’s black t-shirt, and his mussed hair is the curliest it’s been all day, it reminds Mingyu of a poodle. A very large, very soft poodle.

Mingyu falls onto the sofa with a grunt, grinning as Seokmin bounces,

“Sorry, I know the clothes are a little big, I was hoping they’d be comfortable.”

Seokmin smiles, eyes curving as his cheeks push up,

“They’re actually perfect, I wear a lot of stuff like this at home.”

Mingyu tries to picture Seokmin at home, he pictures a lot of soft blankets and pillows, from what he knows he has a pretty expansive sweater collection. He wonders what Seokmin wears to bed… 

Seokmin looks around Mingyu’s apartment, Mingyu fiddles with the tv remote.

“You’re so much neater than I expected.”

He goes a little pink, hands raising defensively,

“Not that I expected you to be messy. You’re just a lot tidier than I am.”

Mingyu snorts,

“You’re good, I’m actually pretty messy, I just clean up after. I’m kind of a neat freak and a mess, it's a talent.”

Seokmin giggles and they lapse into silence, Mingyu shoves the remote between the sofa cushions. He’s trying to come up with the best way to ask Seokmin what’s bothering him when the doorbell rings, he jumps up,

“Food’s here! I’ll be back.”

Mingyu takes the food from the delivery man with a happy shimmy, the man laughs, telling him to enjoy his food. He scoots the coffee table closer to the sofa, pulling the boxes open and handing Seokmin his own container of sauce. 

Seokmin chuckles, Mingyu looks up from his drumstick, tongue moving quickly to catch the smear of sauce that’s left on his lips,

“You’re cute.”

Mingyu forces himself to inhale, laughter coming out in stinted bursts,

“You’re sweet, that’s not what my mom says.”

Seokmin laughs,

“I’m sure she thinks it though.”

They clear the chicken in record time. Mingyu watches Seokmin’s lips as he bites into a churro, he wishes he could turn his brain off. Seokmin glances at him as he chews, a drop of chocolate smudged at the corner of his mouth,

“Please don’t say anything about me needing to maintain my waifish figure.”

Mingyu swallows, giggling nervously,

“I would never.”

His eyes rake down Seokmin’s torso, landing on his thighs,

“I don’t think you need to worry about your figure.”

Seokmin’s smirk tells him that he’s slipped a little too far for fixing, but he’s as kind as always and doesn’t mention it, eyes laughing as he chews. Mingyu puts his churro down, too flustered to keep eating,

Seokmin watches him wipe his hands.

“Do you want to talk about what’s bugging you?”

Seokmin’s smile drops, Mingyu backpedals,

“You don’t have to, sorry.”

Seokmin shoves the last of his churro in his mouth, sucking on his fingers to get all the sugar off, Mingyu hates how closely he watches the movement. He tucks his legs onto the sofa, pushing Mingyu’s comforter over the top like a throw, if he unfolded a leg Mingyu could run his fingers along his shin, not that he’s thinking about that. Feelings first.

Seokmin sighs, staring out the window,

“My older sister is getting married this weekend. I’m really happy for her, and I love my brother-in-law, I know they’ll be very happy together… they always have been.”

He turns, leaning his cheek against the back of his hand, elbow resting on the top of the sofa. It brings attention to his shoulders, which brings attention to his chest, which makes Mingyu look for the curve of his waist in the ample black fabric of his shirt. Seokmin waits for Mingyu’s eyes to snap back to his face, cutting off his whispered apology with a smile and a shake of the head.

“It feels weird, like a chapter in my life is ending. And I feel bad about feeling so twisted up about it, because it’s not really about me… You know?”

Mingyu hums,

“I think I get it. My sister’s younger than me, even imagining her getting married feels super weird. It’s a big transition, it makes sense that you'd be feeling a lot right now.”

Seokmin nods and his eyes balloon comically, he turns his face into his hand and lets out a high pitched wail, dissolving into giggles as Mingyu stares,

“Sorry, I couldn’t hold it in.”

Mingyu’s heart fizzes, he clears his throat,

“You’re good.”

Seokmin’s tongue pokes between his teeth, he sighs and Mingyu watches his muscles release.

“I’ve also been thinking…”

He unfolds a leg, stretching it along the seam of the sofa, into Mingyu’s space,

“Probably cause it’s a wedding…”

Mingyu strokes the soft skin of his ankle, unaware that he’s moved his hand until he registers warm smoothness under his thumb. Seokmin trails off, dark eyes boring holes straight through Mingyu’s skull. Mingyu’s eyes drop to his lips and Seokmin’s inhale is sharp as he looks away, back to the window.

“You’ve been thinking…”

Mingyu can hear the gravelly purr in his own voice, the muscles in Seokmin’s jaw jump, he wants to grab his leg and pull him down the sofa. He lets go, Seokmin pulls his leg back.

“I just… keep wondering if there’s someone out there for me.”

He looks over, face so vulnerable that Mingyu has to remind himself to breath, then he blinks and his expression goes unreadable. 

Mingyu clears his throat,

“There is… there has to be.”

He shakes his head, unable to continue. Seokmin smiles, but it’s small and doesn’t touch his eyes,

“You’re different.”

Mingyu frowns, Seokmin laughs, patting his arm,

“You’re not how I thought you’d be. It’s a good thing.”

Mingyu pouts, bring his knees to his chest and peering over them,

“I knew you didn’t like me. Minghao didn’t believe me.”

Seokmin’s laugh warms him through his toes,

“I liked you just fine, I just thought you were kind of…”

He cocks his head and his curls bounce,

“Fratty? Too much of a jock?”

Mingyu pouts harder, reaching over his legs to give Seokmin a playful shove,

“Says the one who was actually on a sports team in college.”

Seokmin rolls his eyes, grin taking up half his face,

“Track is only barely a sports team, and I did a double major in vocal performance, which automatically disqualifies me from being a jock.”

Mingyu giggles, college Seokmin would’ve ruined his life, though current Seokmin is doing a pretty good job of that on his own.

“So that’s why you’re always singing.”

Seokmin chews on his lower lip, Mingyu pats his arm,

“No, I mean I like it, your voice is amazing, I can hear you from my office…”

He’s not about to admit that it’s one of the reasons he keeps his office door open all the time. Seokmin squints and Mingyu feels found out.

They spend a while chatting, steadily moving further away from the sensitive topics of marriage and the woes of singleness. Mingyu learns that Seokmin has some unusual hobbies. If he has time on the weekends he goes to an archery range, and he apparently hasn’t hit lower than an eight in months. It explains his shoulders.

Seokmin talks about how much he enjoys weekends, how he loves going out with friends, and how seeing them always makes him appreciate being able to come home to a quiet house. He likes to cook and has wanted to try baking, but his apartment doesn’t have an oven and he doesn’t have time to take a class.

They've been talking about movies when Mingyu realizes that Seokmin’s been quiet for a while, he looks over and Seokmin is staring out the window, eyes reflecting the lights of the city as he zones out. Sitting there, drowning in Mingyu’s shirt, with the comforter he’d shoved on top of the sofa falling over his shoulders, he looks small. He also looks like he’s falling asleep.

Mingyu clears his throat and Seokmin doesn’t stir, so he scoots over, giggling when Seokmin jumps when he’s nudged. He smiles, and it’s a little dopey, and incredibly cute. Mingyu forces himself to sit still and not do something dumb, like squeal, or pinch his ear.

Seokmin hides a yawn in his elbow,

“I guess I should head out.”

Mingyu nods, turning away as he stretches,

“Let me get you a bag for your clothes.”

Seokmin blinks vacantly, watching Mingyu as he gets up and goes to his closet to look for a bag. It’s not until Mingyu has returned from the bathroom and is handing Seokmin a bag with his neatly folded clothes inside that Seokmin looks down at himself and frowns.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to just give these back?”

Mingyu hadn’t thought of that,

“I don’t want to make you change again, you look comfortable.”

Seokmin nods slowly, taking the bag and standing. Mingyu fiddles with the hem of his shirt, goodbyes are always so awkward,

“You can give them back on Monday. No need to wash them.”

Seokmin hums, peering up at him, lower lip caught between his teeth. He walks to the door, Mingyu follows, startling when he turns abruptly,

“Thank you, this was… I needed this.”

Mingyu nods, opening his arms and giggling nervously when Seokmin stares,

“I’m a hugger… sorry, if you don’t…”

Seokmin’s cheek squishes against his shoulder, his hair brushing Mingyu’s neck. The citrus is definitely his shampoo.

Mingyu holds him tightly, face burning when they pull apart and Seokmin’s smile is so much closer than he expected, his happy eyes warm,

“Thanks Gyu.”

Mingyu nods, frozen in place as Seokmin pulls his shoes on,

“Of course, see you Monday.”

“See you.”

And then he’s gone. Mingyu stares at his door for an embarrassingly long time, heart hammering in his ears.

*

Mingyu wakes up to a single text from Minghao.

 **HaoHao:**  
Fucker

Mingyu stares at his phone, brain spinning like the wheel of a car stuck in the mud as he tries to come up with anything he could’ve done to make Minghao angry.

He leaves his phone on his bed when he goes to the bathroom, coming back to it after washing up and staring at the message as he walks to the kitchen. He finally sends a question mark, focusing on making his cup of coffee quickly so he’ll be cognizant enough to engage with Minghao’s response.

 **HaoHao:**  
I’m with Seokmin.

Mingyu’s heart flutters, he ignores it. There’s a period, Minghao’s obviously still mad.

 **HaoHao:**  
He’s wearing your clothes  
**HaoHao:**  
Why

Mingyu’s brain stalls, filling with images of Seokmin falling asleep in his shirt, waking up in his shirt, opening the door in his shirt. He drops his head to the counter and squeals, feet tapping the floor furiously. It feels childish, he doesn’t care.

 **Mingyu:**  
He came over for chicken last night, I didn’t want his clothes to get messed up

His coffee is still a little too hot as he takes his first massive gulp, but it burns away the remaining webs of sleep clinging behind his eyes. He ponders his breakfast options.

 **HaoHao:**  
Ok  
**HaoHao:**  
Want to see?

Mingyu’s working on typing his response when the picture pops up. He drops his phone, then immediately picks it up again and stares.

Seokmin in anything is a lot, Mingyu has a hard enough time with the standard button-up, trouser combination he wears on a daily basis. Seokmin in a fitted three-piece suit, loosely quaffed hair, and patent oxfords is the best thing he’s ever seen.

Two more photos appear and Mingyu’s gasp is so forceful that his throat hurts. He clings to his counter.

 **HaoHao:**  
Bow tie or no?

Mingyu swipes between the photos, the first is Seokmin with the bow tie, beaming at Minghao over the camera. The second is Seokmin without a bow tie, eyes shut as someone’s hand rakes through his hair, pulling his head back just a touch, the golden sunlight kissing his high cheekbones and full lips. He’s glowing.

 **Mingyu:**  
No bow tie unbutton the top button  
**Mingyu:**  
Is that Jun?

Mingyu’s toe taps as he waits for Minghao’s text. He considers saving the photos, but can’t come up with an excuse that outweighs how creepy that is, so he doesn’t.

 **HaoHao:**  
Who else would it be  
**HaoHao:**  
Jealous much?

Mingyu pulls his freezer open, opting to just reheat some leftover kimchi stew instead of cooking. The solid block clatters as it hits his bowl.

 **Mingyu:**  
Yes

He stares at his phone, willing another picture to appear. The microwave beeps, he sets it to run for another minute.

 **HaoHao:**  
Wow  
**HaoHao:**  
No more pictures, see you Monday

Mingyu tries to pull his bowl out of the microwave, whining and flapping his hand when he burns it on the hot ceramic. He pouts at his phone, turning to stare out the window at Seokmin’s building. He wishes he could come up with a reason to go over, he feels left out… and he really wants to see Seokmin in a suit. He uses the bottom of his shirt in place of pot holders and sets his stew down carefully, mindlessly pulling the utensil drawer open for a spoon. The first bite burns, he hops around sucking in air.

 **Mingyu:**  
I hate you, worst friend, how could you tease me like this

Minghao sends a shrugging frog sticker, Mingyu whines, he’s not getting any more pictures.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a suit Seokmin agenda...  
> Gyu is an A+ friend, please give him five stars and leave a nice review


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mingyu is doing his best, and no one minds, especially if it makes the office grapevine waaay more interesting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chan would appreciate a bonus to compensate for the amount of time Mingyu spends disrupting his internship

Monday comes way too slowly. Mingyu has a nice chat with his mom and sister on Sunday, they’re both doing well, though his sister is a little stressed about her grades and upcoming exams. His dad is out on a fishing trip somewhere with no reception, so he’ll catch up with him some other time.

Late Sunday night, when he’s tucked under his comforter on the couch, Mingyu pulls Seokmin’s contact information up, going so far as to start a message before he deletes it and tosses his phone to the carpet. Seokmin’s name glows on the screen, Mingyu laughs at the parenthesis encased _‘work’_ he’d put at the end of Seokmin’s contact. As if he’d assumed he would have trouble remembering how he knows Seokmin when they see each other everyday.

Mingyu spends his whole morning commute on edge, peering around his subway car enough times that the woman next to him scoots as far away as she can manage on the tiny plastic seats. He’d contemplated going to the opposite end of the station from his entrance, to see if Seokmin would be waiting there, bright and fresh from his morning shower. He decides against it, he doesn’t want to come off creepy. Though, putting his obvious crush aside, it would be nice to have some company during the commute, he always feels so lonely on the train. A tiny fish in an ocean of anonymity, everyone too busy worrying about making it to work on time to stop and chat, or even smile.

Mingyu falters by the door to the coffee shop, peering over the long line and giving Minhyuk a small wave when he notices him. He frowns as Mingyu walks away, beelining straight to the employee turnstiles and scanning himself through.

Seokmin isn’t in yet, Chan cackles when Mingyu wanders into their office, hands shoved in his pockets as he shifts from foot to foot aimlessly.

“Hyung’s not here yet, do you want me to tell him you stopped by?”

Mingyu stares at Seokmin’s empty desk, cheeks heating when he looks back at Chan and finds him halfway between a smirk and a bemused grin,

“No… no, um… I’ll just be in my office… If you need me for… anything.”

Chan nods, eyes laughing as Mingyu turns to leave, ducking into the hall and almost barreling straight into Seokmin. Mingyu’s whole face flames as Seokmin looks up, eyes wide from the near collision,

“Hi.”

Mingyu can see Chan smothering his laugh in his hands in his periphery, Seokmin smiles, hiking his bag up his shoulder and waiting as Mingyu shuffles out of the way,

“Hi Gyu, did you need something?”

Mingyu shakes his head, he hadn’t thought that far ahead. Seokmin gives him an out, as always,

“Oh, you’re probably here for your clothes, they’re in my bag. Give me a second.”

The side-eye Chan gives him as Seokmin pulls his neatly folded clothes, and bag, out makes Mingyu feel like he’s back in elementary school, in the principal’s office for getting too rough during recess. He stutters out a thanks, heart clawing up his throat as Seokmin beams, far too sunnily for so early in the morning.

“No, thank you, I never would’ve thought to change. You definitely saved me from a trip to the dry cleaners.”

Over Seokmin’s shoulder Chan appears to be having a complete cognitive breakdown, Mingyu squeezes the clothes,

“Do you want to, um… Do you want to get coffee later? I haven’t had my morning cup yet.”

Seokmin sets his bag on the floor, leaned against his desk, Mingyu watches his trousers pull tight as he bends, face burning,

“Sure, that sounds nice. I’ll come get you?”

Mingyu nods, giggling nervously and walking back out of the office as quickly as he can, ignoring Chan’s confused pout as he rushes past him.

He goes straight to Minghao’s office, hovering awkwardly by his desk, squishing the clothes as Minghao ignores him. He attaches a set of files to an email and sends it, waiting until he’s closed out of his email to swivel in his chair, brows arching as he looks at Mingyu’s hands.

“What? We don’t have a meeting today, and it’s too early for gay panic.”

Mingyu scoffs,

“It’s never too early for gay panic, also I’m still mad at you. I know you took more pictures.”

Minghao hums, slender fingers lacing together as he crosses his legs, staring over them at Mingyu like a Bond villain.

“Pictures are a privilege, what do you want?”

He sits forward, slouching a little,

“He gave you your clothes back… Why’d you invite him over for chicken?”

Mingyu tucks the clothes under his arm, leaning a hip on Minghao’s desk and ignoring his glare,

“I invited him over cause he looked sad, he was feeling kind of nervous about his sister’s wedding.”

Minghao purses his lips,

“We literally just ate chicken and talked… I’m not… It would’ve been really shitty of me if I made a move when he was feeling so torn up.”

Minghao’s face relaxes,

“Besides I don’t… I’m taking your advice… about…”

Mingyu shoves his hair out of his face, he can feel his face getting red,

“I like him a lot, I don’t want to fuck this up. Also did you know he’s single? Like in what world? _How?”_

Minghao shifts in his chair, brows furrowing as he pouts nervously,

“He had a kind of nasty break up early this year, I think he’d been in that relationship since college, and I’m pretty sure he’d known his ex since high school… He probably hasn’t been ready to jump back into the dating scene yet.”

Mingyu hums, that explains the caution, he sinks into the tiny stool, wincing as his knees pop,

“I didn’t know you knew each other so well.”

Minghao chuckles dryly,

“You might’ve known if you hadn’t spent the last however many years avoiding him and whining about how much he hates you.”

Mingyu pouts,

“He actually said he didn’t hate me, he just thought I was too much of a jock.”

Minghao blinks, face blank,

“You are.”

Mingyu’s never been so offended,

“I went to art college! With you!”

Minghao shrugs, grinning at Mingyu’s outrage,

“Doesn’t mean you’re not a jock,”

He pats Mingyu’s shoulder,

“It’s ok, you’re sweet.”

He sits back and stares down his nose at Mingyu, fingers coming back to their Bond villain arrangement,

“You want me to tell you if he talked about you at all this Saturday.”

Mingyu nods, toying with the sweatpants’ drawstring and trying not to get his hopes up.

“He didn’t mention you once.”

Mingyu’s soul has been crushed, Minghao giggles,

“Don’t look so sad! That’s actually a good thing with Seokmin, it means he’s being careful, which means he probably doesn’t think of you as a friend.”

Mingyu’s heart soars, Minghao quirks an eyebrow, breaking into another fit of giggles,

“You’re so transparent.”

His laughter peters out, eyes hardening slightly, Mingyu squirms,

“You’re one of my best friends and I love you dearly, but Seokmin is also my best friend, and he’s a beautiful, sensitive piece of sunshine,”

Mingyu winces under the force of Minghao’s stare,

“If you screw this up in any way, if you hurt his feelings, if you change your mind and decide that you just want to fuck him and go, I will end you.”

Mingyu draws in a slow breath, head spinning, he nods and only then does Minghao’s face soften into a tiny smile.

There’s a tap on Minghao’s door and they both look up. Minghao pinches Mingyu’s hand until he lets his sweater go, beaming at Seokmin as he pushes the door open cautiously, looking between them with a confused smile,

“I thought you might be here.”

Minghao laughs, pinching Mingyu’s hand again,

“He’s always here, isn’t he?”

Mingyu shrinks in his stool, trying to hide the clothes in his lap, Seokmin smiles down at him, he looks good from this angle. Mingyu’s photographer brain hums, he’d look good from most angles. He’d look really good under… No, not going there.

“What?”

Seokmin’s grin is instantaneous, he peels into throaty laughter, head falling back just a bit. His voice is gentle when he speaks again, eyes curved happily,

“I asked if now was a good time for coffee? I think you need it.”

Mingyu nods dumbly, tucking the clothes back under his arm as he stands, Seokmin turns to Minghao, still smiling,

“Want to come?”

Minghao’s eyes dart to Mingyu, then back to Seokmin,

“I’ll pass, thank you though.”

He pulls a thermos out of his bag, swiveling to take a small teacup from the shelf behind him,

“Junnie packed this for me.”

Seokmin coos and Mingyu watches, frozen with shock, as Minghao flushes and beams at him,

“Wow that’s… really domestic Hao.”

Minghao glares, Mingyu feels a little better. Seokmin’s fingers ghost over his wrist, his cheeks going slightly rosy when Mingyu looks down,

“Ready?”

Mingyu nods, licking his lips and looking away when he realizes that he’s been staring for too long,

“Yeah, um, let me just drop these in my office.”

He wiggles the clothes and Seokmin chuckles, heading to the door, missing Minghao’s eye roll.

They drop the clothes off, Mingyu trails Seokmin down the hall, trying to come up with things to say, he doesn’t know if he should bring up the wedding or not. Seokmin smiles at him as they wait for the elevator, and it might be all in Mingyu’s head, but he thinks he’s standing closer than he used to,

“Sorry, what?”

Seokmin giggles, reaching up and patting Mingyu’s cheek,

“I got through the wedding ok. Man, you really need your coffee, don’t you.”

Mingyu nods, brain still processing the feeling of Seokmin’s fingers on his cheek as he follows him into the elevator. Seokmin’s eyes are so warm as he grins that Mingyu swears his heart is melting in his chest, his knees aren’t holding up too well either, he leans on the handrail.

“I know I said thank you a lot on Friday, but I just wanted to say it again. I felt a lot better after we hung out.”

Seokmin fiddles with his ID lanyard, Mingyu wants to touch him, so he does, fingers grazing Seokmin’s nape as his hand comes down to rub his back. Seokmin jumps, cheeks warming a hair, Mingyu moves a little closer,

“Anytime, I’m glad it helped.”

Seokmin scans his face, ears going red. Mingyu draws back, hand dipping into the small of Seokmin’s back before he pulls it away and smiles. Seokmin looks away, jolting out the doors as soon as they open, Mingyu follows, satisfied.

Minhyuk grins when he sees them, practically wiggling in place as they walk up to the register.

“How was the wedding?”

Seokmin laughs, eyes crinkling, he pulls out his phone, leaning on the counter as he opens his photos,

“It was amazing! She was so pretty!”

He shows off a photo of his sister, and she is, she’s beautiful, the utter joy on her face complimenting the graceful radiance she seems to exude naturally. Seokmin sighs, swiping to the next photo, which is the whole family, positively glowing as they beam at the camera.

“I cried so much, I think the only person who cried more than me was my dad.”

Seokmin swipes again and the beginning of a video plays, Mingyu catches Seokmin and the happy couple on a stage before he quickly moves to the next picture. Minhyuk grabs Seokmin’s wrist, holding the phone still as he swipes back,

“What’s this?”

Seokmin bites his lower lip as his voice cascades out of the phone speakers. It’s incredible.

“I sang a song for them, we— we don’t have to watch it.”

Minhyuk plucks the phone out of his hand, turning the volume up and holding it up for Mingyu to see,

“This is amazing, of course we’re watching it.”

Seokmin shifts nervously as they focus on the screen. Mingyu can’t stop the smile that grows as he watches, Minhyuk can’t either. Seokmin’s voice is gorgeous, and he looks like a dream in Minghao’s outfit choice, but the best part is just how much love you can hear pouring out of him as he sings. 

Mingyu’s heart fizzes as the Seokmin on screen pauses, clearly holding back tears. Seokmin sniffs near his shoulder and Minhyuk coos, setting his phone down and stretching to grab a couple napkins,

“I’m such a cryer…”

He dabs his eyes, giggling as Minhyuk rubs his arm soothingly,

“Gosh, you’re sweet. That was beautiful.”

Seokmin takes a deep breath,

“This is so embarrassing, I’m so glad there’s no one here.”

Minhyuk laughs, Seokmin smiles, he looks up and Mingyu can’t stop his hand in time, fingers tucking under Seokmin’s chin as he swipes away a tear with his thumb.

“Sorry… you had…”

Seokmin’s lips press together as his eyes dart away, Mingyu pulls his hand back, forcing himself to turn back to the counter. Minhyuk smirks,

“Coffee?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, believe it or not, I have more... much more...  
> Our regular cast of characters will return shortly, with much awkwardness, and terrible communication skills as they all attempt to figure out how the fuck relationships work...  
> Also booze


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The annual Christmas celebrations begin, only this year things are a little different...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahaaa yes, the bed sharing trope
> 
> Jeongcheol are evil, and way too loving, it's a lot

Mingyu starts joining Seokmin for his midmorning coffee run most days, though every once in a while he grabs a cup in the morning instead, unable to function without an earlier dose of caffein. He’s still never run into Seokmin during their morning commute, something which amazes both of them. Every now and again they’ll split a cab to get home, or catch a ride with Jun and Minghao, who are contemplating moving in together. But, Seokmin doesn’t come over again, and Mingyu can’t quite get up the courage to ask what it means every time he politely declines, cheeks flushed as he finds the quickest way to a new topic.

Company dinners happen pretty frequently, but the end of year Christmas dinner is always the most fun, and this year Seungcheol’s turned the dinner into a weekend trip, renting a villa two hours outside of Seoul for the staff. 

Seungcheol beams like a proud dad as he watches the interns take in the huge living room with identical expressions of awe. Seungkwan almost looks like he’s going to start crying, Hansol pats his shoulder, leaving his hand there until Chan clears his throat loudly. Seokmin clings to Minghao, who pats his cheek fondly, Mingyu pouts.

Jeonghan brings the last box of groceries in, dropping it unceremoniously in the entryway and rubbing his back,

“Cheol?”

Seungcheol frowns, Jeonghan pouts,

“Oh, right. Everyone come sit, we have to figure out rooms.”

He materializes a handful of straws, waving away the chorus of dejected groans that rises up as everyone settles into the sofas,

“You can sleep with whoever you want, for the most part.”

Jeonghan snorts, Seungcheol ignores him,

“We’re just deciding where everyone sleeps.”

He sits on the coffee table, spinning around as everyone draws a straw. Seokmin’s straw is noticeably shorter than the rest, he frowns. Mingyu takes his straw, waiting to look at it until Seungcheol sits back on the sofa.

Chan cackles, Mingyu looks down and immediately wants to run away. His straw is short.

There’s a ripple of goading laughter, Seokmin presses his cheek into Minghao’s shoulder, nibbling at his lower lip as his eyes flit up to Mingyu.

Jeonghan’s grin would put the Cheshire cat to shame, he nudges Seungcheol with an elbow,

“Um… right… So the two people who drew the short straws have to share the second master suite. It’s a bit of a trade off, you get your own bathroom, but there’s only one bed. Everyone else can decide where they want to sleep.”

Mingyu’s whole world is spinning, all of the interns are trying not to laugh. Seungcheol clears his throat, gaze darting between Seokmin and Mingyu,

“It’s a big bed?”

Minghao bursts into giggles, shrinking away from Mingyu and Seokmin’s combined glares. There’s a beat of horrifically awkward silence, then Seokmin clears his throat,

“That’s fine with me, Gyu?”

Mingyu nods, stuck between shameful glee and utter, complete panic. Seungcheol’s lips are pressed into a thin line, expression blank as he weighs the pros and cons of the assigned sleeping arrangement, Jeonghan strokes his hair,

“Great, let’s get unpacked and figure out dinner.”

There’s an excited flutter as people disperse, collecting their luggage and drifting off to find rooms. Seungkwan pulls Hansol’s hand off his hip,

“I’m not sleeping with you, I’m sleeping with Channie.”

Chan and Hansol both frown, Hansol tucks Seungkwan under his arm,

“Let’s all sleep together then.”

Chan pouts,

“You do realize we each get a room?”

Seungkwan rolls his eyes,

“They can be back up, in case one of us starts snoring.”

Seokmin laughs, smiling as Mingyu looks down,

“They’re cute. I’m glad they get along so well.”

Mingyu hums, taking Seokmin’s duffle bag and shuffling away when he grabs for it. They start down the hall.

“You sure you’re ok with this?”

Seokmin’s eyes dart around, he holds the door to their room open, waiting until Mingyu’s passed through to respond,

“Yeah, I really don’t mind. Do you?”

It feels like a loaded question, but Mingyu can’t really tell. He sets their bags on the upholstered bench at the end of the bed.

“No, I don’t mind. And I can always sleep on the couch if you want more space.”

Seokmin huffs out a laugh, gesturing at the massive king bed,

“I’m sure there’s enough room for both of us.”

He starts to unpack, taking his toiletry kit to the bathroom to set up. Mingyu jumps when he gasps loudly,

“Gyu, there’s a bathtub in here! This is insane!”

Mingyu pads into the bathroom, and it is, it’s nicer than any of the hotels Mingyu’s stayed in, which frankly isn’t that many. The floor is made entirely of cream tiles, and they’re warm, Mingyu notices a second thermostat on the wall. The counters are a matching cream toned marble, and there are two sinks, which is handy. The bathtub is ceramic and looks kind of like an egg, a space ship, and a cake all in one. 

Seokmin giggles,

“How much did Cheol and Hannie blow on this? This is crazy.”

Mingyu nods, he can’t even begin to fathom how much this place must cost. It makes him slightly queasy, though he knows their bosses have money to spare, their salaries are fairly substantial, and they both come from wealthy families. _Rich people_.

Seokmin nudges past and Mingyu gets a whiff of his shampoo, the dial on his internal panic turning up a notch. There’s a loud thump and a happy huff from the bedroom, Mingyu leans around the door to find Seokmin on the bed, the fluffy comforter puffed up around him like a cloud. Mingyu’s internal panic dial maxes out as he sighs contentedly, blinking owlishly as he settles in.

“This is comfy, we’ll probably sleep well.”

His eyes shoot open, Mingyu freezes,

“Oh… I probably should have mentioned, I talk in my sleep.”

Mingyu shrugs, Seokmin sits up, track pants pulling tight across his thighs as he crosses his legs,

“It’s usually not too bad, but if it is wake me up and I’ll find somewhere else to sleep.”

Mingyu shakes his head, walking to the bed and laying down carefully,

“I sleep like a log, it won’t bother me. And if it does, I can always just go sleep on the couch.”

Seokmin looks down at him, eyes laughing,

“That’s right, I forgot about your habit.”

He frowns,

“That can’t be good for your back.”

Mingyu shuts his eyes, breathing slowly,

“I’m getting better at sleeping in my bed, but I do love my sofa.”

Seokmin hums and Mingyu’s heart stutters, the sheets rustling as he lays down again. Mingyu almost falls asleep, but he wills his eyes open and props himself up on an elbow, staring down at Seokmin. It doesn’t matter how many times he sees him, he can’t get enough. His lashes look soft against his skin, which is still holding its warm glow despite it being the dead middle of winter, and his lips are plush, full and relaxed as he breathes steadily. The little mole on his cheek is one of Mingyu’s favorite things, he wants to kiss it.

Seokmin’s eyes flutter open and time slows, Mingyu’s close enough to hear his breath catch when he realizes how close they are. He must know, there’s no way he doesn’t know.

Seokmin smiles warily, shifting a little to be better able to return Mingyu’s stare. The movement pulls at his shirt, exposing more of the long column of his neck. He swallows and Mingyu follows the movement in his throat, when he looks back up Seokmin’s cheeks are flushed, he licks his lips,

“You…”

He trails off, turning away and sitting up slowly,

“Let’s go help with dinner.”

Mingyu’s gaze traces the dip between his shoulder blades, moving up to the nape of his neck. He knows what his fingers can do there, but he wonders about his lips, or his teeth. He wants to reach out and touch him, but Seokmin is already getting up, scuffing around as he tries to scoot his slippers back on. Mingyu sighs and gets up too, shaking his head to disperse his indecent train of thought.

Dinner is an impressive hodgepodge, there’s a pot of ramen that could double as a cauldron, two kinds of barbecued pork belly, kimchi stew, grilled fish, and a tiny bowl of salad that no one touches. There’s also an impressive amount of alcohol. Minghao barely drinks, insisting that there should be at least one sober person around should anything go wrong. 

They’ve all fallen into smaller conversations as the meal progressed, scooting their chairs together in little clumps. A shrill whine from the intern clump makes everyone look up, the room goes quiet. Jeonghan’s voice pierces the sudden silence,

“Hansol-ah hands off my intern!”

Hansol winces, cradling Seungkwan’s flushed face in his hands, he doesn’t let go,

“Aw, no, hyung, I was just telling him that I think he should go to bed. He’s really drunk.”

Seungkwan falls forward a bit and Hansol smiles sheepishly. Chan pipes up, almost entirely obscured by Seungkwan’s head, he snickers,

“You called him babe, you’re so fucking whipped, dude. If you don’t kiss by…”

He hums and the cogs turning in his brain are audible, slowed by about seven shots of soju and three glasses of champagne,

“If you don’t kiss before the hyungs do you…”

He grumbles,

“I don’t know, but you lose.”

Seungkwan sits up, Hansol jerks his hands back, shrinking as Seungkwan slaps Chan’s shoulder,

“Stop it, he doesn’t like me like that Channie.”

He looks around, lips pushed into a little pout,

“I’m going to bed.”

He stands, wobbling precariously, Hansol leaps up, guiding his arm over his shoulders and wrapping an arm around his waist. Seungkwan frowns, Hansol smiles, but it looks more like a grimace,

“Ok, let’s go.”

He looks down and waits, Chan groans, stretching out of his chair slowly before taking the opposite side. Minghao runs over, pulling chairs out of their way as they hobble out of the room. There’s a collective sigh as the sound of their door closing rings through the house, Seungcheol puts his beer down,

“I remember that. I keep telling him that it would help if he just told Seungkwan he likes him.”

Jeonghan glares fondly,

“I’m sure he’ll get to it eventually, _you_ certainly took your time.”

Seungcheol shrugs, hand going to Jeonghan’s thigh,

“And it worked out, didn’t it?”

Jeonghan giggles, Seungcheol clears his throat, turning and staring straight at Mingyu,

“Funny how that happens.”

Mingyu looks down, Seokmin looks away, flushing as Seungcheol hums.

Seokmin is quiet as they make their way to the room, Mingyu trails back a bit, blood rushing through his ears. He’s drunker than he thought.

They brush their teeth in silence, Mingyu’s grateful for the double sinks, if he’d waited he probably would’ve fallen asleep.

Seokmin splashes his face, sighing as the cool water calms his flushed skin. Mingyu’s never seen someone who’s drunk flush is so flattering, it stains high across his cheekbones and the bridge of his nose, traveling into his ears instead of down his neck. He watches Seokmin push his hair back, the damp strands at the front sticking up for a bit before falling back in place,

“I’m gonna change, I’ll let you finish up.”

Mingyu nods, heaving out a sigh when Seokmin closes the door behind him.

He shuffles out when he’s done, faltering as he catches sight of Seokmin on the bed. He’s changed into a giant t-shirt and a pair of terry-cloth running shorts, legs spilling out of the tiny garment, leaving Mingyu to stare at the vast expanse of available skin, blood no longer rushing through his ears. He looks up, and even through his drunken haze Mingyu can tell he’s doing a terrible job of pretending not to stare with the way Seokmin’s mouth pulls into a little smirk.

Mingyu pulls the covers back just enough to slide in, scooting down and staring at the ceiling as Seokmin does the same. He tries to think of anything at all that isn’t Seokmin’s legs, getting a boner right now would be the absolute worst.

Mingyu turns, surprised to find Seokmin already looking at him. He stares, and Mingyu feels like he’s being sucked into his big, dark eyes, completely unable to look away. Mingyu’s gaze drops to his lips, eyes rapt as his tongue darts out, wetting them, his heart pounding as he hears both of their breathing pick up.

Seokmin jerks away, breath hissing through his teeth as he sucks in a slow inhale, eyes fixed on the ceiling,

“Fuck, Mingyu.”

His voice is hoarse, Mingyu watches his profile,

“You’re so frustrating.”

If he were any bit more sober, and wasn’t being hit with a veritable train wreck of lust, Mingyu might’ve laughed. As things are all he can manage is a choked out sigh. Seokmin rolls over, shoulders rounding as he closes himself off,

“Goodnight Gyu.”

Mingyu doesn’t respond, watching his back until his breathing evens out, soft and steady as he sleeps.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There may or may not be an office poll out for who is the least likely to actually end up with their workplace beau: Hansol or Mingyu... I won't tell you who's winning... or who's voting...
> 
> As always, please feel free to scream at me in the comments, feedback makes me very happy. Also, sorry if the upload schedule (or complete lack of one) is overwhelming; I'd actually been working on like three other fics and this just seems to need to come out of my brain before I can resume work on anything else... so this'll be a bit of a ride


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naughty interns are naughty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More JunHao being perfect, and I don't know who put Cheol and Hannie in charge, but they may want to rethink that decision.

The bright winter sun makes Mingyu squint as he opens his eyes, the white sheets reflecting the light so intensely that his eyelids are red when he squeezes them shut. He wiggles into the mattress freezing as his foot brushes soft, warm skin.

Seokmin’s dead to the world, mouth pushed into a tiny pout as he sleeps. Mingyu stares, propping himself up and shoving his pillows under his side so he can lean on them. In all honesty he’d been hoping Seokmin would start sleep talking at some point during the night, he’s never slept with someone with that sleeping habit and wants to know if it’s anything like the way it’s portrayed in dramas and movies. If maybe Seokmin would let something slip that would give him some clue as to whether or not he has a chance. 

Seokmin sighs, smacking his lips together and rolling onto his side, if Mingyu shimmied over a touch he could wrap Seokmin in his arms. He flops over instead, neck stretching awkwardly over his mound of pillows as he blinks at the ceiling. That’d be creepy, he isn’t going to touch him, no matter how much he may want to.

Mingyu zones out, too awake to fall back asleep, but too tired to actually get out of bed. He stares into the middle distance for an unknown amount of time, mind completely blank. There’s a rustle and a quiet grumble by his ear, he turns, watching Seokmin blink vacantly.

“Morning.”

Seokmin sighs, the first signs of alertness showing up in his eyes as he stares, Mingyu giggles,

“Did you sleep ok?”

Seokmin nods and rolls onto his back, turning to Mingyu with a timid smile, his cheeks tinging pink,

“Like a log, you?”

Mingyu realizes he’s grinning like an idiot, but he doesn’t have the wherewithal to force himself to stop,

“I slept great.”

Seokmin stretches, hands pushing into the headboard as he arches off the bed, gravely voice catching in his throat as he groans, Mingyu grimaces as his joints pop loudly. He sits up, bedhead flopping onto his forehead as he squints,

“It’s so bright in here.”

Mingyu hums, staring at his back,

“Hungover?”

Seokmin snorts, pulling his legs out from under the covers, shorts riding up as he scoots to the edge of the bed,

“Not too badly, I think coffee should help.”

He gets up, sliding into his slippers, Mingyu watches his thighs flex. He looks up and Seokmin’s nibbling on his lower lip, eyes thoughtful as he stares,

“I’m gonna shower, if that’s ok with you. I feel gross.”

Mingyu nods, waiting until Seokmin’s padded into the bathroom and shut the door to pull the sheets over his head and let out a muffled scream. He’d been doing so well at keeping everything light and fluffy, but the shorts are _so_ distracting. He pulls the sheets back down, listening to the shower turn on, he doesn’t know how he’s going to manage one more night of this, maybe he can get Minghao to switch places with him.

He lays there for a while, then clambers out of bed, checking his phone before going to his bag for his clothes. The water shuts off in the bathroom and Mingyu hears nervous laughter before Seokmin’s voice rings through the closed door,

“Hey Gyu?”

“Mm?”

More nervous laughter, Mingyu’s chest warms at the sound,

“Could you just chuck my clothes in here? I forgot to grab them…”

“Yeah, give me a sec.”

He pulls Seokmin’s bag open, taking the neatly folded pile of clothes from the main compartment and freezing when something shiny catches his eye. Mingyu’s head spins, he looks at the closed bathroom door then back into the bag, voice stuck in his throat. A single condom and a travel friendly packet of lube stare back at him from the side pocket of Seokmin’s duffle.

He jogs to the bathroom, tapping the door lightly before opening it a crack and sticking his hand in, face burning as Seokmin takes the clothes with a laugh,

“Thanks!”

Mingyu retreats to the bed, staring at his hands. Does this mean Seokmin thought he’d be hooking up with someone this weekend? If so, is it him? Does he just always keep a condom in his duffle bag, just in case? You can never be too prepared, but Seokmin hadn’t really seemed the type to carry condoms around.

The bathroom door opens, Mingyu’s face burns, he keeps his eyes on his lap as Seokmin walks out.

“Tired?”

Mingyu looks up, and is eternally grateful that Seokmin’s outfit choice for today has him head to toe in baggy, comfy clothes,

“Hm?”

Seokmin chuckles, eyes curving as he smiles warmly,

“You look sleepy.”

He zips his bag closed without looking at it, tossing his pajamas onto the bed and shoving his hands in his pockets,

“Should we head out and see if anyone’s up?”

Mingyu nods, grabbing his hoodie and a beanie and following Seokmin out the door.

Seungcheol, Jeonghan, and Minghao are awake, sitting around the kitchen table. They look up when they walk in, Mingyu avoids Jeonghan’s smirk, sinking into the chair next to Minghao and letting his head fall to the table. Minghao strokes his hair, he can hear Seokmin sit in the chair across from him, Seungcheol laughs,

“Didn’t sleep well Gyu?”

Mingyu sits up, looking everywhere except at Seokmin,

“I actually slept really well, I just need coffee.”

Seokmin moves in his periphery, going to the counter and grabbing two mugs from a cabinet, filling them from the coffee pot that’s sitting on an oven mitt. He sets one in front of Mingyu, damp hair falling over his forehead as he stretches across the table,

“The, um, the bed’s nice and big, so I think we both slept pretty well.”

Jeonghan hums, eyes sliding between the two of them, Minghao goes back to stroking Mingyu’s hair,

“Do we have a breakfast plan?”

Seungcheol nods, swallowing a mouthful of coffee before he speaks,

“We were going to go to a brunch cafe nearby, but the kids are taking too long to wake up, so we might have to go pick things up and bring them back.”

Minghao giggles,

“Or we could just wake them up? It’s almost noon.”

Seungcheol stares,

“I hadn’t thought of that.”

Seokmin laughs, Jeonghan rolls his eyes fondly, patting Seungcheol’s shoulder and standing,

“Shall we?”

Seungcheol whines,

“Why do I have to go?”

Jeonghan waits, Seungcheol gets up.

The room relaxes as they disappear up the stairs, Minghao turns to Mingyu, watching him gulp down the last of his coffee,

“You’re getting old Gyu.”

Mingyu frowns, Seokmin hides his laugh in his hands,

“I’m not that hungover HaoHao, I’ll be fine once the coffee hits.”

He’s really not that hungover, but if it helps him hide his ongoing internal panic, he’ll let everyone think he is. Seokmin watches him rub his eyes with a small smile, it sets butterflies fluttering in Mingyu’s chest, he smiles back,

“You’re sure you slept ok? I can always take the couch if you need.”

Seokmin snorts,

“It’s starting to sound like you just want to sleep on the sofa.”

He peers over his mug, eyes warming in the sunlight filtering through the kitchen windows,

“I slept fine. Let me know if you’re leaving me for the sofa tonight, though. I won’t stop you.”

Mingyu laughs, rubbing his chest as Seokmin beams.

Minghao is staring at his phone, clearly doing his best to be nonexistent, Mingyu peeks at it, frowning when he can’t read the text,

“Junnie?”

Minghao hides his phone, even though he doesn’t really need to. Seokmin leans on the table, clearly interested,

“So are you moving in with him?”

Minghao pouts, popping his collar and sitting back in his chair, cheeks pink,

“We haven’t decided yet… He’s fine with it, but… I’m still not sure.”

Mingyu squirms excitedly, Minghao glares, then he looks across the table at Seokmin and his eyes go soft,

“I’m still kind of scared that it’d be a bad decision… cause what happens if we fight? I can’t go home, he’ll be there too.”

Seokmin coos, reaching across the table to grab Minghao’s hands,

“It’s a big decision, it’s ok to take your time with it.”

He smiles, leaning down so he can peer up at Minghao through his fringe,

“I’m sure Jun-hyung understands that, and you can always talk to him about what’s worrying you.”

Minghao nods, ducking his head as Seokmin giggles and bounces their hands, Mingyu’s heart hurts,

“It’s exciting! Don’t get too torn up about it!”

Chan’s voice floats over their heads, rough and craggy from sleep, Seokmin grins at his intern, eyes impossibly fond,

“What’s so exciting? How are you all so chipper?”

Mingyu gets up to dole out coffee, flapping Chan away when he starts to move to help, Minghao sighs,

“I’m trying to decide whether or not to move in with my boyfriend.”

Seungkwan gasps, Hansol flinches and covers his ears, quickly uncovering them when he’s smacked,

“Hyung that’s so cute! How long have you been dating?”

Minghao’s ears look like they might start melting off his head, Mingyu carries the three mugs back to the table carefully, setting them down and shuffling around the table to settle into the remaining open seat.

“Um, we’ve been dating… well, I’m actually not really sure how long, but we’ve known each other for three years… I think.”

Hansol nods, scooting his chair a little closer to Seungkwan’s,

“That’s dope hyung, congrats.”

Minghao nods, Chan laughs,

“You make it sound like he’s getting married or something.”

Minghao’s whole face goes red, Hansol whines,

“It’s a big deal! I can congratulate him for it!”

Jeonghan smacks the table, everyone winces,

“Children! Mind your volume, Mingyu’s hungover!”

Seungkwan rolls his eyes, opening his mouth to retort but stopping when Seungcheol taps Jeonghan’s shoulder, leaning over and whispering in his ear. He sits up, eyes bright before he sticks his hand in the air,

“One!”

“Two!”

Jeonghan beams, watching the confused looks circulate, Minghao raises his hand, expression flat,

“Three.”

“Four!”

“Four— ah!”

Seokmin and Seungkwan’s hands go up at the same time, Seungcheol cackles with delight. Seokmin throws paper, Seungkwan throws scissors, grinning as Seokmin slumps in his chair. Chan raises his hand cautiously,

“Five?”

Mingyu throws his hand up,

“Six!”

Hansol looks around the table, stunned, Jeonghan smiles,

“Ok, we put our breakfast order in a while ago, the cafe will call us when it’s ready for pickup. Seokminnie and Hansol-ah will go get it.”

Seokmin shrugs, looking at Hansol, who nods and then goes completely still, so still it’s slightly disturbing,

“Oh… uh, I don’t think I should go.”

He jolts into motion, sharing an unreadable look with Seungkwan, who raises an eyebrow and turns away,

“I get carsick really easily and I’m super hungover… I just… I don’t want to ruin anyone’s car if you get my gist.”

He looks at Mingyu, eyes round and practically glowing with youthful innocence,

“You were the last one left before me, I think you should go, if that’s ok with you.”

Mingyu frowns, this is a setup, he’s being setup, surely no one will—

Seungcheol nods,

“Yeah, that’s ok Hansol-ah, we understand.”

He looks at Mingyu, smile wide and falsely innocuous,

“Minnie and Gyu will get breakfast.”

Mingyu pouts, looking at Seokmin, who laughs and reaches over Chan to pat his cheek,

“It’s not that bad Gyu.”

Mingyu slouches, watching Seungkwan and Hansol fist bump under the table,

“It’s not that I really care about going to get food, I just wasn’t the one who lost.”

Chan chuckles, sighing and leaning heavily on Seokmin’s shoulder, Seokmin rubs his shoulder, pulling him close,

“Did you sleep ok?”

Chan sighs again,

“I guess so… Seungkwan-hyung is really clingy though.”

Seungkwan rolls his eyes,

“You fell asleep first, stop complaining.”

Chan sticks his tongue out, Seungkwan glares over his coffee, lips pushed into a tiny scowl. Seokmin laughs, ruffling Chan’s hair,

“You guys are cute.”

Chan pouts, Seungkwan snorts, scowl disappearing as he looks at Seokmin,

“How’d you sleep hyung?”

Seokmin glances at Mingyu, Seungkwan smirks,

“I slept fine, the bed’s really big so there weren’t any clinging problems.”

Mingyu stares at his empty mug, Seungkwan hums.

“Oh! Gyu, Minnie!”

Mingyu looks up, Seungcheol waggles his phone at him,

“The food’s ready for pickup!”

Seokmin waits until Chan sits up to stand, stretching his arms over his head with a groan,

“Do you want to drive, or should I?”

Mingyu hums, thinking, Seokmin laughs,

“I’ll drive, are you going to the room?”

Mingyu nods,

“Can you grab my coat?”

“Sure.”

Mingyu thinks he hears Jeonghan snicker as he leaves the kitchen, but he’s not sure. He locates Seokmin’s coat easily, he’d tossed it on the floor by his side of the bed. He eyes Seokmin’s bag as he shuts the door, still hung up on finding the condom. Maybe he should just forget about it, pretend he didn’t see it. If only that were as easy as it sounds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing Chan and Nonnie is so much fun, Mingyu is going to get dragged all weekend...


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waffles are retrieved, drivers are ogled...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why does driving make everyone so much sexier?

Seokmin is waiting for Mingyu in the living room, legs tucked under himself as he stares at his phone. His hair looks mostly dry and a couple strands have gone wavy, bouncing as he looks up and smiles. Mingyu hands him his coat, hyperaware of Seokmin’s pinky as it brushes his hand,

“Thanks Gyu. Ready?”

Mingyu nods, watching him stand,

“Isn’t your head going to be cold?”

Seokmin frowns, giggling as Mingyu ruffles his hair. Mingyu pulls his beanie off and hands it over when he deems the strands too wet for the just below freezing temps outside. Seokmin takes it, peering up at Mingyu as he pulls it on, lips pulling into a funny smirk that sets all of Mingyu's nerves on edge,

“Thanks Gyu.”

Mingyu shrugs, walking to the pile of shoes in the entryway to pick his out.

Seokmin is a bit of a nervous driver, not so much that it’s a problem, but it means he never fully relaxes back into his seat, spine straight as he hinges forward at the hips. Mingyu takes the opportunity to stare, he decides he likes Seokmin in beanies, something about them makes his already clear features stand out even more.

“Did you ever swim?”

Seokmin snorts, scowling as someone cuts him off,

“Not really, why?”

Mingyu leans over a little more, still staring,

“You’re one of the only people I know who’d probably look good in a swim cap.”

Seokmin chuckles, Mingyu grins,

“Plus, you kind of have the big shoulder, small waist, long leg thing going for you, you’d probably be good at it, I can’t believe you’ve never been scouted for a swim team.”

They slow at a red, Seokmin looks over, clearly amused.

“Oh! And you sing! You probably have great lungs too.”

The light changes, Seokmin looks away, shaking his head as he laughs,

“You think of the strangest things… and, actually, I was asked to join a swim team in high school.”

Mingyu nods, pleased with himself,

“See, I knew it.”

Seokmin shakes his head again, still laughing as they pull into the cafe’s tiny parking lot.

The cafe is homey, and it’s probably a good thing they ended up ordering to go because it’s absolutely swamped. Mingyu tucks Seokmin behind him as he wades through the swarm of couples, most of them moving out of the way quickly when they spot him approaching. Being as tall as he is has its advantages.

The girl behind the register hands them six massive bags of food. Seokmin giggles as he accepts the final bag, tipping his head in thanks as Mingyu turns to leave, readying himself to pick his way back through the crowd.

They make it out after weathering a few bumps. Mingyu checks his bags, whining when he discovers that one of the waffle sets now has whipped cream all over its container. He holds the bag open to show Seokmin, who sighs and fishes the whipped cream out carefully, waiting as Mingyu puts their bags in the backseat. Mingyu takes the messy container back, looking away and booking it back to the passenger’s side when Seokmin starts licking smeared cream off of his palm.

Mingyu stares a little less on the drive back, focused on keeping his clothes clean. He’s also busy trying to concoct a revenge plan for the interns, it doesn’t go so well, he’s never been very good at being vindictive.

Jeonghan and Minghao are on the sofas when they get back, absorbed in their phones. They jump up to take the bags, Jeonghan screams as he rushes to the kitchen,

“Food’s here!”

Seokmin laughs, toeing his shoes off and waiting for Mingyu to do the same, hands tucked into his pockets. Hansol plods down the stairs, Chan and Seungkwan trailing behind,

“Nice hat hyung.”

Seokmin laughs,

“Oh, thanks Sol-ah, it’s actually Mingyu’s though.”

Hansol smirks,

“Oh, dope. It looks good on you.”

He leans back, grinning at Mingyu over Seokmin’s shoulders. Mingyu sighs, just as he thought, this was exactly what they wanted, the little shits. Seokmin frowns, clearly confused,

“Do you want your hat back?"

Hansol’s eyes balloon as he stifles his laughter, easily sidestepping Seungkwan’s elbow only to bump into Chan, who groans. Mingyu grasps Seokmin’s wrist gently, keeping him from taking the beanie off, stomach flipping when his frown deepens,

“No, no, it’s fine. It looks better on you anyway.”

Seokmin pulls his hand free, reaching up to flick Mingyu on the forehead lightly,

“It does not, I’ll keep it though.”

His eyes crinkle a little as Mingyu rubs his forehead, then he darts away, rushing to help Minghao set the table.

The food is good, even though Mingyu doesn’t usually like to have sweets for breakfast. There’s another stare off between Seungcheol and Hansol as Seungcheol tries to persuade him to eat his own serving of waffles and not just wait for everyone to finish. Seungkwan puts an end to it easily, speaking around a mouthful of food, whipped cream smudged in the corner of his mouth,

“There won’t be any leftovers, we can easily eat all of this. Take the waffles.”

Hansol does as he’s told, face pink as Seungkwan takes the plate from Seungcheol and folds the waffle like a taco, holding it up for Hansol to bite. He puts the waffle down and smiles, licking the syrup and whipped cream from his fingers before returning to his own plate, cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk. Hansol tries to sneak a strawberry onto his plate, completely missing the way half of the table rolls their eyes.

After they’ve cleaned up and had a little lounging time Jeonghan and Seungcheol take the interns to do another grocery run. Minghao watches them get ready to leave from the sofa, head resting on Seokmin’s lap,

“We can’t have eaten all the food.”

Seungcheol laughs, steadying Jeonghan as he shoves his shoes on,

“We did! Well, I think there’s some lettuce left. But we need stuff for dinner and we drank all the booze.”

Minghao hums, fingers tapping the back of his phone unnervingly quickly,

“Can you get some wine?”

Seungcheol grins,

“Red or white?”

Minghao raises an eyebrow, Jeonghan giggles.

“Ok, red. Text if you think of anything else.”

The door shuts and Minghao heaves out a sigh, sitting up and tossing his phone to the other end of the sofa. Seokmin nibbles his lower lip, frowning at Minghao, who looks away. Mingyu sighs,

“You’re still worrying about it aren’t you?”

Minghao glares, but it has no bite,

“I don’t know why he _isn’t_ worrying about it!”

Seokmin pets his hair, Mingyu scoots over until he’s close enough to lean on Minghao, who whines but doesn’t move,

“Jun-hyung isn’t worried about it because he trusts you. He knows whatever decision you make will have been made carefully.”

Minghao stares at his phone, Seokmin’s fingers carding through his hair. Minghao sighs, leaning into Seokmin’s touch, his face relaxing as he takes a couple deep breaths. He eventually sits up,

“Ok, I’m going to call him.”

Seokmin gives his back a couple hearty thumps,

“We’ll be here if you need us.”

Minghao nods, frowning determinedly as he heads for the stairs. They watch him go silently, Mingyu feels a bubble of pride float out of his chest. Seokmin looks over, voice dropping to a whisper,

“I think they’ll be fine.”

Mingyu nods, lowering his voice to match Seokmin’s,

“Me too.”

Seokmin chuckles, pulling his legs onto the sofa and pivoting to face Mingyu. It reminds him of their chicken date, he wonders if it reminds Seokmin of that too.

They’ve been floating in this odd, liminal space for a little over a month. Mingyu’s certain he’s made it abundantly clear that he wants Seokmin to be something other than a friend. Though, being fair, he hasn’t quite gotten up the nerve to ask him out on a proper date, so it’s possible that Seokmin is somehow still oblivious. Something in his quick glances though, in the way his cheeks tinge pink when Mingyu does something a little forward or gets a little too close, in the way Mingyu sometimes catches him staring, makes him think that Seokmin does know. He’s just choosing not to act on it.

He leans his head against the back of the sofa, smile small and cautious as he returns Mingyu’s stare.

“You said I was frustrating last night.”

Seokmin’s flush is instantaneous, he stammers,

“I, um, I didn’t mean it in a… um… Sorry.”

Mingyu nods, yawning into a stretch and smirking internally as Seokmin’s eyes follow the line of his chest,

“It’s no biggie, I get it.”

Seokmin teeth pull on his lower lip, eyes widening a touch as Mingyu lets his gaze linger on the soft fullness of his mouth. Mingyu sits up, straightening out of his flirtatious tilt,

“So, how’s archery?”

Seokmin beams, clearly grateful for the shift in subjects, Mingyu’s insides roil.

“It’s been nice, I haven’t been going as often as I’d like though. The weather keeps me inside most weekends.”

Mingyu hums, picking at the upholstery,

“Yeah, I’m the same. A friend of mine invited me to join their futsal crew, but they meet at night and once I’m home I just don’t want to go out again.”

Seokmin nods, cheek smushing into the back of the sofa,

“Same. My body wants me to hibernate.”

Mingyu watches his hands where they’re wrapped around his shins, knees pulled into his chest,

“I’d join you, I make a good space heater.”

Seokmin doesn’t laugh, his eyes darting across Mingyu’s face over pursed lips, he looks a little annoyed, and it’s strangely attractive. He sucks in a long, slow breath and Mingyu thinks he’s finally going to do it, he’s finally going to ask what all this is, what Mingyu wants.

The sound of a door being flung open echoes down the stairs, Mingyu wants to scream.

Minghao descends the stairs two at a time, somehow still managing to be graceful, which is something Mingyu will never be able to understand, much less emulate. He’s beaming, though his smile shrinks a touch as he takes in the tense atmosphere on the couch. Seokmin unfolds, face breaking into a grin as he turns,

“So?”

Minghao squeezes between them, practically vibrating. His hands are shaking, Seokmin grabs them,

“We’re doing it, I’m moving in. I’ll start packing when we get home.”

Seokmin shouts, letting his hands go and pulling him into a hug, rocking back and forth as Minghao giggles delightedly,

“That’s amazing! I’m so happy for you!”

He releases Minghao, giving his hair a ruffle before Mingyu pulls him into his own hug, laughing as Minghao squirms,

“I’m so proud of you Hao!”

Minghao tries to lean away from Mingyu’s cheek, whining when he can’t get far back enough to evade the nuzzle. He finally manages to push Mingyu off, careful fingers immediately coming up to fix Mingyu's hair. He clears his throat, still smiling,

“Thanks guys. I… I think it’s the right decision.”

Seokmin eyes are warm, he coos, rubbing Minghao’s back,

“I think so too.”

Mingyu stares at him over Minghao’s back, heart pounding in his ears as Seokmin stares right back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so proud of JunHao, best bois...  
> I would also want to scream if that conversation was interrupted Gyu...


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Is this flirting? What is flirting?

Jeonghan and Seungcheol take the news as cause for celebration, which means more booze. When Seungcheol stands to attempt a sixth toast Chan whines, grabbing his shirt and pulling him back into his seat. Jeonghan laughs so hard he falls on the floor, curling in on himself as he points at Seungcheol’s stunned face.

Mingyu notices that Seokmin isn’t drinking much and slows down, not wanting to end up in the same drunken mess of emotions that he’d gone to bed with the prior night. He’s a little tired of the kitchen’s hard wooden seats so he gets up, wandering into the living room with a glass of water. Hansol looks up from the sofa, fiddling with a Rubik’s cube, face ever so slightly tinged by a couple glasses of wine. He watches Mingyu sink onto the sofa, cube clicking away as they sit in silence for a while.

Mingyu clears his throat, Hansol looks up,

“Are you, um, are you ok?”

Hansol’s smile conveys nothing, he puts his cube down,

“Kwannie wants me to leave him alone.”

Mingyu nods, taking a sip of water and waiting.

“He didn’t believe Chan when he told him I liked him. So now if I bring it up he thinks I’m teasing him and gets mad.”

Mingyu hums,

“Have you ever told him when you’re both sober?”

Hansol freezes, and it’s still a little unsettling just how still he gets,

“Um…”

He picks his cube up again, twisting it distractedly,

“That’s a good point hyung.”

Mingyu nods, forcing down a laugh as Hansol stares at his cube solemnly.

“I think it’ll work out, he clearly likes you back.”

Hansol’s cheeks get a little pinker, he pushes his bangs back, laughing airily,

“You think so? That’s crazy… he’s so perfect.”

Mingyu chuckles, stretching over and ruffling Hansol’s hair. He grins, pearly whites on full display,

“Do you think… Are you going to tell?”

His eyes dart to the ruckus at kitchen table, Mingyu drains the last of his water, cheeks burning,

“I— I don’t know.”

Hansol hums, leaping up as Seungcheol shouts his name, throwing Mingyu an apologetic smile as he rushes away.

Mingyu considers going back to the kitchen, but Seungcheol is currently in the boisterous phase of his drunk arc and Mingyu doesn’t have the energy for it. After a short while Minghao joins him on the sofa, nestling into his side with a sigh. Mingyu pats his shoulder, pouting when he sits up,

“You’re doing such a good job Gyu, I’m so proud of you.”

His wine sloshes, Mingyu takes the glass from him, setting it on the coffee table carefully.

“You’re being so good.”

He pinches Mingyu’s cheek,

“I’ve never seen you follow someone else’s lead so well.”

Mingyu looks to the kitchen, sighing when he doesn’t see Seokmin. Minghao stands, glaring at Mingyu when he goes to follow,

“I’m going to bed. You have my blessing, go forth and fuck.”

He wrinkles his nose as Mingyu cringes,

“Just don’t tell me about it after, please.”

Mingyu hides in his hands, blush burning through his skin,

“Ok, thank you. I won’t.”

Minghao hums, Mingyu looks up, watching him climb the stairs two at a time, still light as a feather despite his clear drunkenness. He waits until he hears Minghao’s door close to down the rest of his wine, hoping for just a little more of a buzz to stop his mind from spinning.

He puts the glass down and looks up, choking and backing away when Seokmin drops onto the sofa next to him. This is the absolute last thing he needs right now.

Seokmin’s flush is light and his eyes are bright and alert, the only tell of his slight buzz is the ease with which he relaxes into the sofa, body heat radiating across the slim gap between them. He looks at Mingyu and hums, the sound mostly a breathy exhale. He’d taken Mingyu’s beanie off earlier in the evening and his wavy hair is a little limp as he drags his hand through it, pushing it back and exposing his forehead. Mingyu lets his gaze travel across his face, over his strong brows and large, sparkling eyes, down the perfect slope of his nose to his plush lips, taking a minor detour for his little mole. He blinks slowly, teeth pulling at his lower lip as Mingyu stares, the world slipping out of focus around him. 

He shifts, Mingyu looks up, away from his mouth and into his eyes, which flit across Mingyu’s face with the same frenzied urgency as a that of a spooked rabbit,

“Gyu?”

“Hm?”

Seokmin starts toying with the edge of Mingyu’s sleeve and Mingyu feels like he might actually implode. Seokmin peeks through his lashes, lower lip growing redder and plumper by the second as he continues to nibble on it. He giggles, leaning forward like he’s going to tell Mingyu a secret,

“You’re nice.”

Mingyu nods, swallowing the scream that tries to claw its way up his throat as Seokmin nuzzles his shoulder, he pats his back awkwardly,

“You too… You’re nice too.”

Seokmin sits up brows furrowed in a tiny, irritated scowl. Mingyu clears his throat, floundering. Seokmin lets go of his sleeve and it suddenly feels like the pencil-tip thin space between them expands into a vast cavern. Mingyu tries not to squirm, he’s so lost.

“You never call me Minnie, everyone else does… Should I start calling you Mingyu? Kim Mingyu?”

Mingyu does his best to stifle his laugh, that can’t be what this is about. Seokmin glares, but his mouth is pulling into a smile. His fingers dance over Mingyu’s wrist again, thrumming over his pulse point. Mingyu tries it,

“Seokminnie? Minnie?”

Seokmin cracks up as Mingyu cringes, hand curling around his wrist, holding himself close to Mingyu's side,

“Ok, it’s a little weird when you do it… never mind.”

He settles back into the sofa, releasing Mingyu and fiddling with the hem of his shirt, Mingyu tries not to look disappointed,

“When did you start calling me Gyu? I can’t remember.”

Seokmin hums thoughtfully, bringing a hand up and tugging on his lower lip, Mingyu wishes he wouldn’t.

“I really don’t remember, but it was pretty early on, I might not have noticed cause that’s what everyone calls you.”

Mingyu nods, relaxing into their companionable silence, he stares into the kitchen, where Hansol is edging closer and closer to Seungkwan, grinning sheepishly every time he’s glared at. Seokmin chuckles,

“They’re cute, aren’t they?”

“They are.”

Mingyu’s heart rate picks up again, he looks at Seokmin, who's watching Seungkwan shove Hansol’s head away, the pair of them grinning like idiots.

“Did you… um… Did you have someone at their age? I didn’t… I was way too scared to deal with those emotions.”

Seokmin looks up, Mingyu laughs nervously,

“I’m not like that anymore… thankfully.”

Seokmin nods, his bemused smile shifting into a grimace as he stares at the coffee table,

“I did… but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t scared. It doesn’t mean he wasn’t scared either.”

He sighs, and he looks so fragile. Mingyu remembers him admitting to his fear of never finding anyone and mentally kicks himself for bringing any of it up.

“Maybe you had it right.”

Mingyu frowns, Seokmin chuckles softly, head tilting as his eyes curve into crescents, his voice unmistakably tender,

“You waited until you were ready, maybe that’s the right way to do things.”

Mingyu giggles, rubbing a flushed cheek and slouching a little more, trying to ignore Seokmin’s close and incredibly warm smile,

“Maybe… I don’t know… If you asked Hao he’d definitely say I didn’t do anything the right way. I don’t think my serial hookup record is in any way redeemable.”

Seokmin laughs, bright and loud, the sound petering off into a happy hum, Mingyu wants to kiss him.

“At least you’re aware of it… And I won’t ask Hao, don’t worry.”

Mingyu looks down a little too quickly. Seokmin flinches, then scrunches his nose, Mingyu _really_ wants to kiss him.

“You’re sweet.”

Mingyu flounders, an entire swarm of butterflies exploding in his chest. Seokmin leans on him heavily, hand smoothing across his shoulders as he laughs at Mingyu’s obvious distress. Mingyu looks to the kitchen, catching Hansol’s eye and silently pleading for help. Hansol shoots him a thumbs up.

Seokmin sits up, hand still rubbing circles into Mingyu’s back as he giggles. Mingyu doesn’t know how red he is, but he feels like his whole face is on fire,

“Why are you so embarrassed? It’s a good thing, it’s endearing.”

Mingyu stares, maybe he was wrong. Maybe, somehow, Seokmin has no idea how he feels. It doesn’t seem likely… but it also doesn’t seem impossible.

Seokmin squishes his cheeks, laughing when Mingyu splutters and jerks back,

“I lost you for a second there. You space out a lot Gyu.”

Mingyu rubs his face, feeling out of his element in a way that seems to be unique to conversations with Seokmin.

“I… Yeah, I do.”

He watches Seokmin grin, shifting closer and smirking when Seokmin’s smile drops and he starts to fidget, eyes darting away as Mingyu nudges his shoulder. His blush makes Mingyu feel giddy, he wants to see more of it, he wants to see the rest of the slight pink tinge that’s peeking out of the collar of Seokmin’s shirt.

Seokmin purses his lips, all traces of his playful exuberance being quickly replaced by wary apprehension,

“Um… I think I’m… I’m going to go to bed.”

Mingyu’s face falls, Seokmin smiles apologetically, taking a deep breath as Mingyu flops back into the sofa, not bothering to hide the grin that tugs at the corners of his mouth as he remembers that this means he gets to see Seokmin in his tiny shorts again.

Seokmin stands and Mingyu stares at his ass, looking up and shrugging at Seokmin’s frown,

“Ok, I’ll be there in a bit… not that you have to wait or anything.”

Seokmin rakes his hand through his hair, lip caught in his teeth as he nods, his gaze lingering until he turns and leaves.

Mingyu slides down the sofa until his chin hits his chest, burying his head in his hands and groaning loudly. He doesn’t want to go to the room, but he also really wants to go to the room. He hears laughter in the kitchen and peeks through his fingers, Seungcheol waves at him, perfect teeth on full display as he beams,

“Gyu! Come here!”

Everyone smiles as he walks into the kitchen, he plops into the chair that Jeonghan pats with a heavy sigh. He's just started a mental countdown to the teasing when Jeonghan’s elbow nudges his ribs.

“That was something…”

Mingyu shifts, set off kilter by Jeonghan’s keen grin. He clears his throat and shrugs, doing his best to appear unaffected, Seungcheol giggles,

“I’ve never seen Seokmin get so handsy before.”

Mingyu’s heart flutters, he looks up, blushing when Seungcheol cackles, Chan frowns,

“What do you mean? Hyung’s always super touchy.”

Mingyu deflates, Jeonghan pats his back, leaning around him to talk to Chan,

“Seokminnie’s touchy with everyone else, not Gyu.”

Mingyu slouches even further into his chair, he feels defeated, and Minghao isn’t here to glare on his behalf. Jeonghan rubs his back, eyes unexpectedly soft when Mingyu looks up at him,

“That’s a good thing, Gyu. You can’t tell?”

Mingyu shrugs, Jeonghan chuckles,

“Honestly, between the two of you this is never going to go anywhere.”

Mingyu frowns, still lost. Jeonghan rolls his eyes, speaking slowly, like Mingyu is a child who can’t quite grasp the rules of a game,

“Seokminnie is touchy with everyone _but you_ , he hangs out outside of work with everyone _but you_ , and he didn’t tell anyone about the time he went to your house…”

Mingyu sighs, none of those sound like good things. Jeonghan groans, leaning forward until his forehead connects with the tabletop. Mingyu pats his back gingerly, flinching and drawing his hand back when Jeonghan turns and glares.

He looks across the table at Hansol, who smiles and shrugs, Seungkwan whispers something in his ear and his face falls. Seungkwan clears his throat, full cheeks going bright red as he glances at Mingyu nervously,

“You didn’t… um… So this means nothing happened last night? With you two?”

Mingyu chokes, Chan cackles, then thumps his back,

“No, nothing… what? No!”

There’s a round of nervous laughter from the interns, Seungcheol and Jeonghan exchange a look. Seungcheol folds his arms, eyes narrowing as he glares reprovingly,

“What did you do? You’re not in trouble, just tell me what you did.”

All three interns stare at the table, Hansol peeks up at Mingyu,

“It wasn’t my idea, I promise.”

Mingyu feels bloodless, he’s not mad, ok he’s a little mad, but he’s mostly confused. Jeonghan and Seungcheol frown, Jeonghan’s toe starts tapping.

“I knew he wouldn’t carry one around.”

Hansol and Chan dissolve into nervous giggles, Seungkwan wriggles in his seat, completely red. He meets Jeonghan’s eyes and shrinks, voice tiny,

“We put a condom in Seokmin-hyung’s bag…”

Jeonghan freezes, then explodes into laughter, Seungcheol groans and drags his hands down his face,

“Oh for fuck’s sake, I thought you’d actually committed a crime or something.”

Mingyu pulls his legs into his chest, hiding his face in his knees,

“You’re all terrible, it’s been screwing with me all day… Fuck, I knew it wasn’t like him…”

Jeonghan rubs his shoulder, still laughing hysterically, Mingyu squeezes his legs tighter, whining,

“Why would you do that? It’s not like he’d see it and magically suddenly want to sleep with me.”

He grumbles into his knees, pouting to himself when Jeonghan draws his hand back. The table falls quiet, Mingyu looks up, Seokmin frowns.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't be upset with Mangyu, he only has two settings: confused and soft or way too thirsty... it's why Minghao hates going to clubs with him, but also why he puts up with him at all  
> Verkwaaaan riiiiiiiiiiiise
> 
> Thank you for tolerating my word vomit, I hope it's enjoyable, much love 💖


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The bed sharing trope finally pulls off..... maybe

Nothing would make Mingyu happier right now than being able to completely disappear, to melt off his chair into a puddle of nothing and never have to see Seokmin, or anyone, ever again.

Seokmin shifts his weight from foot to foot, clearly unnerved by the fact that the entire table is staring at him. He clears his throat, brushing his hair off his forehead as he looks around the table,

“Hi?”

Hansol squawks in lieu of a greeting, hand fisting in Seungkwan’s shirt as he looks Seokmin up and down. Seokmin scratches his side absently, the edge of his huge sleep shirt hiking up a bit and exposing a little more of his shorts hem.

“Um… I was just going to ask Mingyu if he has any floss I could use? I just ran out.”

Mingyu nods, keeping his eyes fixed on Seokmin’s hair so he doesn’t have to look at any of the rest of him. Jeonghan squeezes his thigh, Mingyu squirms,

“I do. It should be in my bag by the sink… do you want me to come show you?”

Seokmin rubs his chest, cheeks flushing as Hansol continues to stare at his legs,

“No, that’s ok Gyu, I should be able to find it.”

He smiles at Mingyu, giving the table a confused once over before he leaves, slippers scuffing the floor as he turns out of view. 

Jeonghan still hasn’t released Mingyu’s leg, Mingyu plucks his hand off, face flaming as everyone turns and stares at him again.

“What?”

Seungcheol presses his lips into a thin line, eyes widening as he shrugs, Jeonghan chuckles, Seungkwan stares,

“No wonder you didn’t sleep well. Hyung you’re amazing.”

Mingyu groans,

“I slept fine, it’s not… I’m… I’m trying not to think about it. Feelings first… right?”

There’s a smattering of confused hums, Chan pats his shoulder, grin the most open Mingyu’s seen from him in a long time,

“Good. No offense hyung, but I’m kind of automatically on Seokmin-hyung’s side. If you fuck up I’m obligated to hate you.”

Seungcheol smothers his laugh in his hands, Mingyu pouts,

“That’s fair… Wait, what? You’re the one that put a condom in his bag.”

Chan shrugs, stretching his arms over his head with a sigh,

“I didn’t really think about it, I just thought it’d be funny.”

Seungkwan and Hansol nod, Jeonghan giggles, Mingyu’s ears smolder.

He excuses himself fairly soon after, too tired and emotionally strained to put up with the constant teasing everyone seems to enjoy unleashing on him. He wishes Minghao would’ve stayed up a little longer, he would’ve put a stop to the teasing easily… Though, he may have actually made things worse, who knows.

Seokmin has the lights turned low when Mingyu tiptoes into their room, he’s curled up in bed, one arm shoved under his pillow as he sleeps. Mingyu tries to stay as close to silent as he can manage while he washes up, ultra focused on not waking Seokmin.

He’s pulling the covers back when Seokmin stirs, sighing softly as he rolls over. Mingyu’s heart fizzes in his chest, he hopes the dim lights hide his smile, because he can’t seem to get it to go away.

“Gyu?”

Mingyu nods, settling into his pillow, he can hear his pulse pounding away in his ear. Seokmin yawns, blinking slowly as he stares, his warm eyes turning Mingyu’s heart into mush in his chest.

Seokmin shakes his head, frowning sleepily as Mingyu pouts,

“Tomorrow, I’ll ask you tomorrow.”

He laughs at Mingyu’s lingering pout, darting a hand out to tuck under Mingyu’s chin before he rolls over again, broad shoulders rounding as he curls up,

“Night Gyu.”

“Night.”

Mingyu falls asleep surprisingly easily, body relaxing into the warm sheets as he listens to the steady rhythm of Seokmin’s breathing.

Knuckles colliding with the side of his face startle Mingyu awake. The room is ridiculously bright again. Mingyu blinks, holding the warm body that’s flush with his own tighter before realization hits him and he lets go. Seokmin stirs, just barely, sleepy eyes darting between his hand and Mingyu’s face, he pulls his hand back with a delayed grimace, tucking it against his chest,

“Did I hit you?”

Mingyu shrugs, grateful that both the part of his brain responsible for controlling his limbs and the part in charge of embarrassment and panic don’t seem to be alert yet. His hand comes back to Seokmin’s side, holding him close as he gives Mingyu’s cheek an apologetic pat. Mingyu has just enough self control in him to keep himself from kissing Seokmin’s fingers as they dart away. 

Mingyu runs his thumb along the gentle curve of Seokmin’s waist, vaguely registering all the places that they’re touching. His thumb brushes a little higher and Seokmin’s breath catches, ribs stuttering under his hand. Mingyu lets him go reluctantly, enamored with the with the way his lashes flutter as he blinks rapidly, eyes darting away for a moment,

“Sorry.”

He isn’t really though. Seokmin shakes his head, untangling their legs and rolling onto his back,

“It’s ok, sorry I hit you.”

Mingyu laughs, too focused on watching Seokmin’s profile to think of anything to say. Seokmin turns, brows arching when he finds Mingyu staring,

“Gyu?”

Mingyu smiles, but doesn’t look away. Seokmin rolls onto his side again, frowning for a beat before he smiles back, his cheeks flushing slightly when he meets Mingyu’s eyes,

“Mingyu?”

Mingyu giggles, a nervous warmth nestling into his chest as he finally relents and flops onto his back to stare at the ceiling. Seokmin sighs, the sheets rustling as he shifts, Mingyu shuts his eyes to keep himself from looking over.

“What’d you want to ask me last night?”

The rustling stops, Mingyu opens his eyes, pulse picking up when he looks over and Seokmin is nibbling on his lower lip nervously, he clears his throat,

“Um… I thought maybe you might want to…”

Mingyu turns, resting his head on his arm as he waits. Seokmin huffs and rubs his eyes, he seems to be determined to not make eye contact,

“Do you want to have chicken again sometime?”

Mingyu’s brain processes the question slowly, Seokmin fidgets with the edge of the comforter,

“We don’t have to have chicken… I just meant—”

“Yeah, yes, that’d be great.”

Seokmin frowns, Mingyu tries not to smile too broadly, his brief euphoria rapidly morphing into a roiling mess of confusion. Is this a date? Is it just chicken? Why was he so nervous about asking? Does he think Mingyu doesn’t like chicken, because he doesn’t know why he’d think that.

“Sorry, what?”

Seokmin laughs, full and throaty, all traces of his nervous frown disappearing as he grins and sits up,

“Nothing, let’s get you some coffee.”

Mingyu watches him get out of bed, following him mutely as his monologue of internal panic continues to spin and spin between his ears.

Mingyu is surprised to find that everyone else is already up, smiling groggily at them as they traipse into the kitchen. Seokmin starts to head to the coffee pot on the counter, giggling happily when Seungcheol shoos him back to the table, smiling to himself as he pulls two mugs out of the dish drainer. Mingyu sits between Minghao and Jeonghan, mindful of keeping his eyes off of Seokmin’s legs as he sinks into his chair.

Chan rubs Seokmin’s back,

“Did you guys sleep ok?”

Seokmin nods, smiling as he accepts a mug from Seungcheol. Mingyu takes the offered mug with a thankful grumble, closing his eyes when the bitter taste hits his tongue, he groans,

“I slept fine, Seokmin decided to punch me this morning though.”

There’s a round of confused looking back and forth. Seokmin whines, pulling his legs onto his chair as he glares,

“I didn’t really, I was asleep!”

Mingyu shrugs, licking his lips and looking up from the soft skin of Seokmin’s thighs, the greedy, wanting purr in his chest amplifying as Seokmin meets his eyes and instantly looks away. Minghao jabs his elbow into Mingyu’s side, his icy glare reprimanding him for attempting to escalate their flirting beyond the family friendly _“cute dog photo”_ level.

Mingyu stares into his coffee, trying to ignore the stiflingly awkward silence that descends over the room. 

Jeonghan pats his thigh, his large eyes shining excitedly as he smiles at the table, Mingyu doesn’t understand how he has so much energy,

“Cheollie and I were planning on stopping for lunch on the way home, does that sound like something everyone is interested in?”

All heads nod, Seungcheol beams,

“Great! We’re not in a huge rush, but it’d be good if we got packed up and did a quick clean before we leave.”

Mingyu downs the last of his coffee, trying desperately not to look as disappointed as he feels when Seokmin avoids his gaze and rushes to help Chan and Hansol with the dishes. Jeonghan giggles, thoroughly amused by Mingyu slouching halfway down his chair. Minghao pats his hand gently, startling when Mingyu pulls his hand away and stands,

“I’m gonna shower real quick.”

Minghao shrugs, Mingyu glances at Seokmin’s back before he practically runs back to their room. For as well as it started, he considers this morning an absolute, horrifically humiliating failure. He still hasn’t quite figured out what it is about Seokmin that turns him into a bumbling, tactless idiot, but he thinks it’s probably too late to help himself. He’ll just have to put up with the it.

He whines as he steps into the shower, realizing that he may have just ruined their future chicken night.

It’s not fair! It’s not his fault! Anyone would be a little sexually frustrated after two nights of sharing a bed with their super hot crush who’s decided to parade around in the tiniest shorts known to man… And it’s not like he just wants to sleep with Seokmin either, he could literally drown in the endless volume of his sappy, mushy feelings for the man…

He watches the water run down the drain and groans, he’s so fucked.

Cleaning and packing go quickly, Seungcheol and Jeonghan are pleasantly surprised by the ease with which they manage to get the house cleaned before they all load into cars for the drive back to Seoul. The lunch spot Jeonghan picks is cute, it’s built into what looks to be an old farmhouse and there’s a small pen of sheep in the back, which adds a good twenty minutes of photo time to their stop. 

Mingyu notices Seokmin check the time again and leans over cautiously,

“Are you ok? Do you need to be back at a certain time?”

Seokmin looks around the table, voice low,

“My uncle is dropping Coco off at three. I think we should be ok, but I’m starting to get a little worried.”

Mingyu hums, thinking,

“Do you want to see if Hao is ok with heading out early? My stuff is in his car, but I’d be fine with heading back now.”

Seokmin nods, giving Mingyu’s shoulder a grateful pat as he leans across the table to Minghao.

Minghao is more than happy to leave early, he won’t admit it, but Mingyu thinks he’s pretty eager to get back to Jun, it’s sweet.

Mingyu takes Seokmin’s duffle, setting it onto the seat next to him as he slides in the back. Seokmin peers over his shoulder at him, shaking his head when Mingyu quirks a brow. Minghao purses his lips, clearly doing his best to ignore the nervous tension that’s sliding between the two of them.

The drive back is fairly quiet, Minghao has the radio on low and every once in a while Seokmin will sing along to something, humming absently as he stares at his phone. Mingyu stares out the window, cheeks burning after Minghao catches him glancing at Seokmin’s profile in the rearview mirror, again.

They pull up to Seokmin’s building with just a couple minutes left before the scheduled puppy drop-off time. Mingyu goes to hand Seokmin his bag and freezes when Minghao smirks at him, eyes curving as he grins mischievously,

“I’ll have to let you both off here, sorry Gyu. Junnie needs his car back, and you live close enough.”

He giggles at Mingyu’s pout, completely ignoring his mouthed “I’ll kill you.” Seokmin shrugs,

“You can come up if you’d like Gyu. Coco and I can walk you home, she’ll need a walk anyway.”

Mingyu wasn’t going to refuse him, but now that he gets to meet a dog he’s not even that mad at Minghao anymore. He scoots out of the car, hanging onto Seokmin’s bag as they watch Minghao drive away. 

Seokmin smiles, and there’s a bit of caution sitting in the edges of the movement, it makes Mingyu’s stomach churn. He shrinks in on himself as he follows Seokmin through the lobby doors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks as always for reading! I'm really amazed and so grateful for the feedback!  
> I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe!  
> 💖💖💖🐛🎉🎊


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minhyuk's laugh could probably cure cancer... He ships it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I miss Coco, what a sweetie

Seokmin’s apartment, true to his word, is messier than Mingyu’s, though it isn’t overwhelming and it gives the place a cozy, lived-in feel. Mingyu barely has time to look around before the doorbell rings and Seokmin is rushing away, already beaming.

Mingyu fights the urge to peer into the entryway, staring at his hands as he listens to the murmured conversation that’s interrupted by the sound of a dog shaking and little paws tapping the floor. The man that follows Seokmin into the living room greets Mingyu with a surprised nod, his little chocolate poodle wagging her tail as she sits by his feet. 

Mingyu tries to determine which parent he most resembles, but he can’t remember their faces clearly enough to compare. He has what must be the family’s signature easy grin, even if it reads a little wary as he looks back and forth between Mingyu and Seokmin. 

Seokmin flushes as Mingyu stands, something unspoken passing between him and his uncle as he fidgets,

“This is Mingyu, Kim Mingyu. He’s a friend from work.”

Mingyu bows, unable to contain his excited wiggle as Coco trots up to him and wags. Seokmin’s uncle’s smile shrinks as he looks him up and down, making Mingyu’s heart drop into his stomach, Seokmin ruffles his bangs nervously,

“We just got back from an MT, Mingyu lives nearby so our friend dropped us both off here.”

His uncle smiles, face breaking out of it’s vaguely disapproving stillness as Coco tries to jump up onto Mingyu’s legs,

“You can pick her up, she doesn’t mind.”

Mingyu doesn’t need to be told twice, bouncing Coco gently as she licks his face. Seokmin’s uncle heads to the door, giving Mingyu one last unreadable glance as he goes, Seokmin trails him quietly. 

Mingyu focuses on twirling around with his little doggy cargo as their murmured conversation floats into the room from the hallway. He hears Seokmin sigh when the door clicks shut and tries not to let himself read into it, though he can’t help but wonder, he sometimes forgets that not everyone is as accepting as his family is, he’s lucky.

Seokmin looks tired as he shuffles in, stopping by the wall to set down a bag of toys, snacks, and puppy pads. He watches Mingyu bury his face in Coco’s fur, smiling gently over folded arms when she twists to lick Mingyu’s cheek.

“You ok?”

Seokmin sighs and Mingyu regrets asking,

“Yeah… I’m fine…”

He looks everywhere except at Mingyu, bending to dig a leash and a small harness out of the bag,

“My uncle didn’t know about the breakup, so he was pretty surprised when I showed up to the wedding without… without my ex.”

There’s a line of tension in Seokmin’s neck that Mingyu doesn’t think he’s seen before, he sets Coco down gently, watching her trot over to Seokmin as his blood roars through his ears. Seokmin squats and starts to fit her into her harness, his slender hands moving with a level of tender care that makes Mingyu’s chest ache. He can’t believe anyone would let Seokmin go. That’s not to say he knows that’s what happened, but from what little bits he’s gathered it doesn’t sound like Seokmin was the one to instigate the split. Something acrid clings to the back of his throat.

Seokmin flinches when he looks up, laughing softly as Mingyu takes a slow breath and rubs his chest,

“It’s ok Gyu, he’s just waiting for me to… um…”

He doesn’t continue, biting his lip as his cheeks tinge pink, Mingyu feels like the floor has dropped out from under him. Seokmin watches Coco shake, smiling shyly at Mingyu as he follows her to the door,

“Ready to go? I think we’re being asked to hurry it up a bit.”

Mingyu watches his back as he pulls a thick, fuzzy jacket on, toying with the straps of his bag mindlessly. It’s a good think he’s heading home now, he’s long past the end of his self control, and if he sticks around much longer there’s a pretty big chance he’ll do something stupid, like give in and kiss Seokmin.

They walk slowly, matching their pace to Coco’s little strides as she weaves around, sniffing every bush and tree they pass. They enter the dog park from the opposite side than the one Mingyu is used to, leaving him just a little disoriented. Seokmin smiles, his sharp nose dusted red at the tip by the biting cold,

“I’d love to walk you all the way, but I think I severely underestimated the weather. I hope you don’t mind.”

Mingyu shakes his head, shoving his hands in his pockets to avoid stroking Seokmin’s cheek as he beams and picks Coco up, zipping her into the front of his plush hoodie,

“I don’t mind one bit, thanks for walking with me at all.”

He scratches Coco’s head, mindful to avoid the warm plane of Seokmin’s chest as he rubs behind her ears,

“Nice to meet you Ms. Coco. You keep him safe until Monday, ok?”

Seokmin’s eyes are shining happy crescents when Mingyu straightens up,

“I’m sure we’ll make it through to tomorrow ok.”

Mingyu’s cheeks burn, Seokmin laughs warmly, reaching out and rubbing Mingyu's arm as he grins,

“See you tomorrow Gyu.”

Mingyu nods, hiking his bag up his shoulder and turning before he can get too sad about saying goodbye. He reprimands himself for moping as he walks the couple blocks home, it’s only one night, he can survive without seeing Seokmin for one night. At least he thinks he can.

It turns out that, while he certainly can survive a night alone, he misses the warmth and the soft rhythm of Seokmin sleeping next to him and spends most of the night tossing and turning, stretching out in an attempt to fill his achingly solitary bed.

Mingyu forces himself to go straight to his office the next morning, setting a silent goal to not go bother Minghao or look for Seokmin until the afternoon. He wants to prove to himself that he doesn’t need Minghao’s reassurance, and he’s kind of scared of how much he missed Seokmin last night and doesn’t want to come off too desperate. Though he’s not so sure he hasn’t already done that.

He’s completely absorbed in adjusting the saturation of a portrait from a recent shoot when he’s startled out of his concentrated haze by a light wrap on his door. Minghao smiles, Mingyu frowns. Minghao looks exhausted.

“Coffee?”

Mingyu looks at his clock, 10:21, that’s pretty close to when Seokmin tends to go down, Minghao giggles,

“We can stop by his office on our way down, I need caffeine Gyu.”

Mingyu stretches out of his chair, groaning when he rolls his neck and it pops loudly. Minghao grimaces, toying with the edge of his thin silk scarf as he waits for Mingyu to join him in the hallway.

Seokmin is reading something over Chan’s shoulder when they knock, eyes laser focused as they skim across the screen. Mingyu grabs Minghao’s shirt, wincing when he’s immediately pinched. Seokmin looks up, serious expression taking a beat to melt into a smile,

“Is it time for a coffee run?”

Mingyu nods, ducking behind Minghao when Chan scoffs and rolls his eyes. Seokmin fishes his wallet out of his bag, ruffling Chan’s hair as he swivels back and forth in his chair,

“It’s good Channie, we’ll go over it one more time when I get back, then we can send it to Cheol-hyung.”

Chan nods, pouting fondly, Seokmin chuckles,

“Want something from downstairs?”

Chan chews on his lip, Mingyu wonders if he picked the habit up from Seokmin,

“Just a coffee, or I guess a latte if that’s ok.”

Seokmin nods, giving his shoulder another pat before following Mingyu and Minghao out of the room. He immediately begins to comb his fingers through Minghao’s hair, giggling when Minghao sighs and relaxes into his touch,

“I thought you weren’t drinking coffee anymore.”

Minghao shrugs, leaning on Seokmin as they file into the elevator, he presses the button for the lobby. Seokmin rubs his side, long fingers tickling him through his shirt lightly, Minghao grumbles and grabs his wrist to make him stop. The mischievous gleam in Seokmin’s eyes when he looks up sets Mingyu’s heart shooting into his throat. He drums his fingers on the back of Minghao’s neck, narrowly missing the little bruise that’s peeking out of the top of his scarf,

“You’re so tired Hao. Was Junnie-hyung happy to see you?”

Minghao’s entire face goes bright red, he turns and squishes Seokmin’s cheeks, his glare managing to be both amusedly fond and completely exasperated at the same time. Seokmin chuckles and cups his chin, beaming when Minghao rolls his eyes and lets him go as the elevator doors open.

Mingyu laughs when Seokmin holds the cafe door open for Minghao and he glares, but still thanks him as he passes through. It’s empty, as usual, Mingyu still thinks it’s a little odd that the cafe is always empty when Seokmin goes. He puts it down to whatever strange force has made it so they never run into each other on the way to work, the universe has its ways.

Minhyuk smiles from behind the register, looking Minghao up and down with an easy grin,

“Hi, I don’t believe we’ve met! I’m Minhyuk!”

Minghao blinks, frowning a little when Minhyuk doesn’t shrink away from his intense stare,

“Xu Minghao, I work with them.”

He waves dismissively at Mingyu and Seokmin, Minhyuk laughs,

“I gathered as much, very nice to meet you. What can I get you?”

Minghao lists off their drink order, eyes widening in surprise when Minhyuk refuses to take his card. Seokmin frowns,

“You won’t get in trouble for doing that?”

Minhyuk giggles, wandering over to the espresso machine,

“No, Hannie came down earlier and said he’d cover your drinks today. I can’t believe your boss is so nice.”

Seokmin laughs,

“I didn’t know you knew Jeonghannie-hyung.”

Minhyuk ducks to take a carton of milk from a fridge, tearing it open as he waits for the coffee grinder to shut off, he waggles his eyebrows,

“I know everyone, love.”

He looks at Mingyu, staring until he starts to fidget, then he looks back at Seokmin,

“So… fun weekend?”

Seokmin’s smile falls, he glances at Mingyu, flushing and looking away when their eyes meet, Minhyuk frowns,

“What? Hannie just said I should ask you two about the trip… it wasn’t fun?”

Mingyu sighs, shoulders tensing as Minghao giggles and pats his back,

“Oh, the trip was lots of fun. Jeonghan-hyung probably wanted you to ask so they’d get embarrassed again.”

He drops his voice to a stage whisper, smoothing his hand up to grab the back of Mingyu’s neck,

“These two drew short straws and had to share a bed all weekend.”

Minhyuk snorts, exploding into a fit of incredibly loud, shrill laughter. He tries to pick up the milk pitcher and has to put it back down because of how hard he’s laughing. Mingyu glances at Seokmin, who bites his lip and stares at his shoes, Minghao giggles.

“That’s hilarious! What are the odds?!”

Mingyu wants to dissolve, or run away, whichever will get him out of here faster, Minghao’s hand tightens a bit.

Minhyuk is still giggling to himself, but he manages to make their drinks and hands them off to Mingyu with a cheery wink, leaning over the counter to give his arm a pat, though it’s really more of a bicep fondle than a pat,

“Good luck!”

Mingyu concentrates on not dropping anything as he makes his way to the door, using the excuse of avoiding spills to not make eye contact with Seokmin as they head back to work.

Minghao whips around just before they reach Seokmin’s office, hands coming up to toy with his scarf again, the redness in his cheeks bleeding into his ears,

“Would you two be able to help me move Saturday? I don’t have too much stuff, and we’ll feed you… I really just need help getting things in and out.”

Seokmin grins, reaching up to comb a stray strand of Minghao’s hair back into place,

“I’m down, you had me at food.”

Minghao beams, scrunching his nose fondly, Seokmin coos. Mingyu feels a little left out, he clears his throat,

“Yeah, of course. Just let me know when.”

Minghao nods, turning to leave and whipping around again just as Seokmin starts to turn into his office,

“Oh… Jun is picking me up from work today if you guys want a ride home.”

Seokmin nods, literally biting down a smirk as he leaves, Minghao sighs, glaring half-heartedly at Mingyu, who’s failing at trying not to laugh,

“I always want a ride, thanks Hao.”

Minghao follows him into his office, leaning on the door and picking at his coffee sleeve, Mingyu swivels in his chair, waiting.

“You didn’t, um… you know… this weekend?”

Mingyu groans,

“No! Why does everyone think that? You think I wouldn’t have told you?!”

Minghao shrugs,

“So are you ever going to ask him out? Or are you just going to sit around and pine?”

Mingyu slouches halfway out of his chair, Minghao sighs, rolling his eyes even as he smiles fondly.

“I don’t know… He asked if we could have chicken again, so I guess that could be a date…”

Minghao nods, Mingyu sits up, mind full of the way Seokmin had looked after his uncle left, tired and still a little broken,

“I don’t want to fuck up, Hao… I’m scared he might not be ready to…”

He takes a deep breath,

“I don’t want to hurt him.”

Minghao just sighs, reaching out to brush Mingyu’s bangs off his forehead. Mingyu stares at the floor closing his eyes when he glances up and finds Minghao watching him carefully.

“You’re a good person Gyu… I’ll see you later.”

Mingyu nods, keeping his eyes closed until Minghao’s footsteps fade into silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seok's uncle high key thought they were a thing... Minghao probably should've just worn a turtleneck.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He's gonna do it...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I might legitimately be able to tag this as a slow burn?  
> That's a first...

Mingyu’s a little surprised by how happy he is to see Jun when he scoots into the backseat, pulling his bag onto his lap so Seokmin can put his on the middle seat. Jun’s eyes narrow in the rearview mirror, Seokmin looks at Mingyu, clearly confused. The car is quiet as they pull away.

“So, hyung, are you excited that Minghao is moving in?”

Jun’s grin takes up half his face, Minghao smacks his thigh, grumbling when Jun catches his hand and clings to it,

“Yes! I’m very excited! It only took him a billion years to agree to it, but he was basically already living with me so I thought it made sense.”

Minghao’s ears are so red they’re glowing, he snatches his hand back, pushing his lips into a pout,

“I don’t know, I like my apartment… And I wasn’t really living with you.”

Mingyu laughs,

“Yeah, you went home to water your plants once a week. At least now you won’t have to pay to keep an empty fridge running all the time.”

Minghao groans,

“I hate you all.”

Jun cackles, Seokmin giggles, the sound making Mingyu’s heart somersault in his chest. He looks over, breath catching when Seokmin leans his head into the leather headrest and beams at him, eyes shining with the glow from the passing streetlights.

Mingyu forces himself to suck in a breath, pulse picking up a tick when he meets Minghao’s eyes in the mirror, he clears his throat,

“Um… So when do you want us over?”

Seokmin nods, his leg starting to bounce as he leans forward, Mingyu shifts in his seat, the car is beginning to feel too small. Jun hums, eyes darting between the two of them before he looks back to the road,

“Is 11:00 ok? That gives us a good chunk of time to get things done, and we should finish in time for dinner.”

Seokmin looks up and Mingyu wants to scream, this is getting to be too much.

“That works for me… Gyu?”

Mingyu manages a nod, cheeks burning when he notices Minghao catch on to his panic. Jun quirks a brow, rounding the corner to Seokmin’s block and pulling to a stop smoothly. Seokmin ruffles Minghao’s hair before he climbs out of the car, grinning through the door as he pulls his coat tighter around himself,

“Thanks for the ride hyung! I’ll see you Saturday!”

Jun nods, waiting until the door slams shut to twist around and fix Mingyu with a knowing smirk. Mingyu hides behind his hands, Minghao giggles.

“You need to ask him out Gyu, you’re going to explode.”

He watches Mingyu for a while, humming to himself as he turns around again and pulls away from the curb,

“I don’t want to jinx anything, but I think you have a shot.”

Mingyu watches Seokmin’s building shrink in the rearview mirror, he chews on a thumbnail,

“Yeah… I know... I don’t know, I was telling Hao earlier today, I’m kind of worried he’s still not over his breakup… I don’t want to pressure him into something he’s not ready for.”

Minghao sighs, Jun pats his thigh, glancing at Mingyu again,

“That’s admirable…”

Minghao twists around, pursing his lips as he searches Mingyu’s face,

“I don’t think it’s as much of a problem as you think it is. Besides, maybe what he needs to finally get over—… I think it might actually help him. I mean you really do like him Gyu, there’s nothing wrong with that.”

Mingyu stares at his hands, startling a bit when Minghao pats his head, Jun chuckles,

“If you want I can lock you two in a room when you’re over this weekend.”

He slows to a stop as they reach Mingyu’s building, laughing so hard that his shoulders start shaking when he turns around and gets a good look at Mingyu’s face, Minghao glares fondly.

“Do you want me to, uh, try and broach the subject to Seokmin? See what he thinks?”

Mingyu shakes his head so hard his ears ring, Minghao hums,

“Ok… Let me know if you change your mind.”

Mingyu hugs his bag to his chest as he scoots out of the car,

“Ok, see you tomorrow Hao. Thanks for the ride hyung.”

Jun hums, waving over Minghao’s shoulder. Minghao smiles when Jun brings his hand down to tangle in his hair, he rolls his window down, sticking his head out as they drive away,

“Text me if you need anything! Don’t mope!”

Mingyu can almost hear Jun’s laugh as they disappear around a corner, he scuffs his feet as he plods through the lobby.

Making dinner helps him feel a little better, the methodical work of chopping vegetables and the happy burble of his rice cooker lifting his mood out of its desolate pit of self-pity. He stares at his phone, turning the burner down a notch before he takes a deep breath and presses the call button, the line rings twice,

“Mingyu? What’s… Is everything ok?”

Mingyu pokes a mushrooms stem,

“Yeah, everything is fine hyung. Can I ask you for uh… I need advice about, um… I have a crush?”

Seungcheol cackles,

“No shit Sherlock… Yes, of course I’ll give you advice, not that it’ll be any help… why are you calling me about this?”

Mingyu sighs,

“I don’t know… I don’t want to talk to Hao about it, none of my other friends know him that well, and you’re kind of like my work dad… ‘Sides, you’re in a relationship so you must be doing something right.”

He can hear Seungcheol’s frown in the silence,

“Why does everyone keep calling me their dad? I’m way too young for that shit… Also, to be clear, Hannie definitely knows more about why this is working than I do, but I understand if you don’t want to ask him, I’ll do my best.”

Mingyu hums,

“Thanks… So… Um, I kind of… I really like Seokmin.”

He’s grateful Seuncheol can’t see the flush that takes over his whole face when he laughs, the sound crackling a little as it filters through the phone speaker,

“Yes, I’m aware, actually we’re all aware. What about it?”

“Do you think he knows? Seokmin?”

Seungcheol sighs, Mingyu hears him shift,

“It’s kind of hard to say, Gyu. He’s surprisingly private about stuff like that.”

Mingyu tries not to feel too disappointed, it doesn’t work, Seungcheol sighs again,

“ _But_ , I think he’s at least a little interested in you, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he had an inkling about your feelings… You’re not exactly subtle.” 

Mingyu groans, Seungcheol cackles,

“You’re not, it’s fine, it’s cute.”

Mingyu’s brain catches up to his last statement, his heart jumps,

“You think he’s interested in me?!”

Seungcheol giggles, and Mingyu can picture the closed lipped, wide eyed face he’s probably making as he laughs,

“Gyu, in the _most_ platonic way possible, you’re hot as fuck… You usually know this? Also, didn’t you hear what Hannie said? He doesn’t act the way he normally does around you.”

Mingyu presses his flushed cheek to the countertop for a second, hoping it’ll cool down,

“Yeah, but he avoids me… that’s not good.”

Seungcheol groans so loudly Mingyu almost turns his volume down,

“ _Mingyuuu!_ Wow, I guess love really does make you stupid… He doesn’t avoid anyone else, he doesn’t try his hardest to not touch anyone the way he tries not to touch you, do you see where this is going?”

“I… No…”

Seungcheol screeches, luckily it sounds like he covered it with his hands,

“Why would you try not to touch or spend time with someone you’re attracted to?”

Mingyu’s whole head is spinning and his ears are so hot they almost hurt,

“I don’t… I don’t know…”

There’s a thump that sounds an awful lot like Seungcheol’s head connecting with a tabletop,

“Because you’re scared of what will happen when you do! I don’t know if he knows how much you like him, but I _really_ doubt it’ll end up being a problem.”

Mingyu’s knees are starting to feel a little weak, he takes the phone with him to the sofa, laying back on the armrest so he can stare at the ceiling.

“Do you think I should ask him out? I really… I don’t want to just sleep with him, I really…”

He curls in on himself as a bomb of embarrassment goes off in his chest,

“I think I want to be his boyfriend… Like, I really… wow…”

Seuncheol chuckles, and the sound is completely saturated with warmth. Mingyu’s still imagining a dreamlike life with Seokmin, waking up together, going to sleep together, eating together, walking dogs together… also a lot of sex… He can’t lie, he’s really pretty, uh, interested in that…

“That’s adorable Gyu, and I get it, it’s a pretty overwhelming feeling when you like someone that much… I know… I know what that’s like.”

Mingyu hums, though it’s really more of a strangled wail, Seungcheol laughs,

“Well… I’m rooting for you, let me know if you need anything. I would say it isn’t worth an existential crisis, but I know you can’t help it, so, uh… Just try and ask him out sometime, it’ll probably be fine.”

Mingyu just whines, Seungcheol giggles,

“You’re ok now? Did it help?”

Mingyu forces himself to sit up,

“Yeah… Thanks, hyung.”

“Mhm, see you tomorrow Gyu.”

“See you.”

Mingyu stares out the window at the dark silhouette of Seokmin’s building, searching the lit up windows for whichever one might be his. He takes a deep breath, resolving to finally do it this week, he’ll ask Seokmin out, he’ll finally tell him how much he likes him.

He groans and flops back into his couch, this week is going to be hell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes please, Jun, lock them in a room and see what happens... Maybe they'll finally get somewhere...  
> Jk I can't do that to them... unless...
> 
> Why is it that liking someone makes it completely impossible to tell if they like you back? Like, what is that? Why does that happen?


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> JunHao move in and Gyu finaaaaally asks Seokmin out...  
> Bonus stealth thirst-trap Minnie, cause the teddy bear fit was a lie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jun is evil, but like cute and friendly evil, so no one minds  
> STREAM CROW, JUNHUI BEST BOY

The week isn’t hell, exactly, though Mingyu is rushing to meet a deadline and that means he’s able to supply himself with plenty of legitimate reasons to chicken out of doing what he’d promised himself he’d do. He can’t remember the last time he spent this much of his work week stuck in his office instead of wandering over to Minghao’s or tiptoeing into Seokmin and Chan’s office to fumble around in hopes of getting Seokmin to smile at him.

Before he knows it the work week is over and it’s Saturday morning. He wakes up with an unusual amount of panic weighing on his chest, and he can’t quite place why it’s there until he checks his phone.

 **Seokmin(work):**  
Hi! ^ ^

 **Seokmin(work):**  
Wow, I can’t believe we’ve never texted!  
Anyway, want to meet up before we head to Hao’s? I’ve never been there but he said you’d know how to get there.

Mingyu reads each message an embarrassing number of times, rolling around on his bed as he stares at his phone. He starts to respond and squeals because of how fast his heart starts pounding.

 **Mingyu:**  
Yeah, sounds good. Want to come here or should I come to you?

 **Mingyu:**  
I just woke up so I need to get ready, but it shouldn’t take too long.

Seokmin responds quickly, and Mingyu leaps out of bed, running to the bathroom to make sure he’s presentable.

 **Seokmin(work):**  
I’ll come to you 

**Seokmin(work):**  
I’ll head over in fifteen minutes? That should give you some time to get ready

Mingyu is so frazzled that he almost pulls on a pair of trousers, frowning at them as he realizes they make no sense if he’s going to spend the whole day helping Minghao move. He grabs a pair of sweats and a t-shirt instead, making a last minute switch to a shirt that’ll frame his chest and shoulders nicely.

He manages to down a piece of toast and half his mug of coffee before the doorbell rings. Seokmin grins from the hallway, his hair is sticking up a bit, tousled by the walk over, and his cheeks and the tip of his nose are tinged pink. Mingyu tries not to stare, holding the door open to let him in.

Seokmin shrugs his jacket off and Mingyu realizes that he does actually wear a lot of clothes like the ones he’d lent him before. His baggy ensemble is the color of sand and the fabric looks like it could be used to make a teddy bear, Seokmin frowns at him, Mingyu blushes,

“You look like a bear. It’s cute.”

Seokmin laughs, ruffling the hair at the back of his head, it glows in the mid-morning sunlight, like the strands have caught fire and are each holding a minuscule piece of the sun. Mingyu’s brain decides to remind him of the feeling of Seokmin’s body under his palm, their legs tangled together between bright white sheets.

Seokmin leans on the kitchen counter, an amused smile tugging at his lips as he watches Mingyu space out,

“Ready to go?”

Mingyu manages a nod, scrubbing his hands over his face as Seokmin laughs, Mingyu’s insides twist, it’s pretty, he’s so pretty.

Seokmin follows him to the subway, humming as he looks around,

“Oh… This makes sense now.”

He grins at Mingyu’s confused pout,

“I use the stop that’s like three block from my place in the opposite direction. I think we take different subway lines to work.”

Mingyu nods, resisting the temptation to turn and lean into Seokmin’s space as the escalator evens their heights out,

“I’d wondered about that. It seemed pretty crazy that we’ve never seen each other in the morning.”

Seokmin hums, perfect teeth flashing as he beams, Mingyu stares at his lips.

Minghao and Jun greet them in the lobby, ushering them into an elevator with distinctly different smiles. Seokmin nudges Minghao’s shoulder, Jun giggles,

“He’s already tired. We finished packing everything this morning and he’s already run out of energy. I kept telling you there’s more stuff here than you think.”

Minghao rolls his eyes, giving Seokmin’s bicep an indiscreet squeeze,

“It’s fine, that’s why you’re here.”

Seokmin giggles and Mingyu feels a seed of panic plant itself in his stomach, he takes a deep breath, it’ll be fine, Seokmin is wearing the equivalent of a teddy bear suit and whatever he has underneath it is probably just as baggy. He’ll be fine, he’s safe.

He’s wrong, he’s so wrong.

He manages to keep himself fairly concentrated on hauling boxes, using the same amount of energy to ignore Jun and Minghao’s teasing glances that he expends desperately trying to avoid looking at or being in the same room as Seokmin.

He stretches his arms over his head and Mingyu actually wants to die. The loose black tank top he’s wearing might as well just not exist, the firm muscles along his ribcage and the hard line of his abdomen being completely exposed by armholes that drop almost all the way to his hips.

Seokmin bends to pick up another box and Mingyu catches sight of a nipple, he sends a silent plea for help to Minghao, who’s too busy ogling to catch it. Jun laughs, smoothing a hand up Mingyu’s shoulder as he passes by.

“I think that’ll be it for this load. We can take it down and head straight over, sound good?”

Seokmin chews on his lip, Mingyu watches the tendons in his neck ripple, heart trying to claw its way up his throat when he looks up and Seokmin smirks,

“That’s fine with me. Can you grab my sweatshirt Gyu?”

Mingyu nods, grabbing the soft sweatshirt and resisting the urge to snatch the box from Seokmin and force him to cover up. Not for any reason other than he truly isn’t sure how much more of this he can take.

Jun rescues him, pulling his coat on and taking the box from Seokmin with a soft chuckle,

“I’ll get this one, you guys deserve a break.”

Seokmin nods, stretching his arms out as he walks towards Mingyu, who short circuits and stands frozen in place, utterly confused. Seokmin laughs, gently pulling his sweatshirt from Mingyu’s limp hands,

“Thanks Gyu.”

Mingyu gets a full view of his shoulders and upper back as he turns and yanks the garment over his head, he never should have agreed to this.

It takes three more trips for them to get everything moved out of Minghao’s apartment, and by the end of it Mingyu understands why Seokmin wore the cursed tank top. They’re all covered in a light sheen of sweat, with an extra layer of dust and cardboard particles settled into their clothes and hair.

Jun groans and stretches his arms, pulling one down behind his head as he bends to the side, Mingyu isn’t sure people are supposed to fold that way.

“Feel free to shower if you want. Dinner might take a bit, I bought a lot of food cause I figured we’d all be pretty hungry.”

Seokmin looks up from the sofa,

“You sure you’re ok with that?”

Jun shrugs,

“Yeah, I can grab you a towel. I don’t want you to have to hang around feeling gross.”

Seokmin nods, pressing his full lips together as he gets up and follows Jun down the hallway. Minghao smirks at Mingyu from the sofa, patting the recently vacated spot and sighing tiredly,

“I wish I could’ve taken pictures of your face all day, it’s hilarious.”

Mingyu frowns, his exhausted muscles singing their thanks as he relaxes into the cushions,

“I wish I could’ve taken pictures all day too, not of my face though.”

Minghao snorts, pursing his lips as he gives Mingyu a disapproving once over, he clears his throat,

“Is there a reason you’ve been avoiding him all week?”

Mingyu lets his head fall onto the back of the sofa, ignoring the strain it creates in his neck and jaw,

“Who said I’ve been avoiding him?”

Minghao’s glare could cut through bone.

“I, uh… I told myself I’d ask him out this week but… I dunno, I got busy, and I also got scared… so… it didn’t happen.”

Minghao smiles soullessly, Mingyu suppresses a shudder, he sometimes forgets that Minghao is so good at being terrifying,

“Well, you can ask him tonight, it’ll probably be easier to do it here than at work.”

Mingyu starts to complain but stops as Jun strides back in, lips pulled into a funny smile as he bends to pull an apron out of a drawer. Mingyu hopes he didn’t hear them.

“You’re going to ask Minnie out tonight? That’s exciting.”

He laughs at Mingyu’s pleading pout, looping the apron strings around his back so he can tie them in front. Mingyu frowns, his waist is absolutely tiny, it’s a little unexpected, he can’t remember what it is Jun does for a living, was it acting? Modeling? Something involved in the entertainment world, it’s how he and Minghao met, and it’s probably why he keeps himself in such good shape.

“Do you want me to lock you two in the bathroom? I’ll do it.”

Mingyu takes back every single nice thing he’s ever said about the man, it doesn’t matter how happy he makes his best friend, he won’t tolerate this shit. Minghao giggles,

“That’d be hilarious.”

Jun hums, yanking the fridge open, lips pulled into a grin,

“I know, it really would be.”

After a couple minutes Seokmin pads back from his shower, looking refreshed, if a bit sleepy. Mingyu uses the excuse of needing a shower of his own to run away, though he does take a moment to admire the light catching a on water droplet as it runs down Seokmin’s neck. The smells that start to fill the apartment as he showers make his stomach gurgle, he’s very excited for dinner. 

Mingyu is flabbergasted by the quantity of food that greets him when he plods back to the kitchen, Minghao beams from Jun’s shoulder, beckoning Mingyu over. They set up at the four seater table Jun has placed by the windows, Seokmin laughing at him as he tries to shove yet another plate onto the overloaded surface,

“I believed you when you said you had a lot of food, but I don’t think I realized what you meant by a lot.”

Jun laughs, giving up and putting the plate on the kitchen counter instead,

“Hao doesn’t eat a lot, so I got a little excited cause I know you two do.”

Seokmin chuckles, flashing a thousand kilowatt smile Mingyu’s way,

“I guess we do, huh Gyu?”

Mingyu bemoans the fact that he has no one to cling to as his pulse skyrockets, he nods, turning to Minghao so he doesn’t have to face Seokmin’s grin,

“You don’t want to shower Hao?”

Minghao frowns, detaching himself from Jun’s side to sit down, Jun smirks at him,

“We’ll shower later, right HaoHao?”

Minghao looks like he wants to throw up, or throw something, it’s hard to tell, he groans,

“This is why we can’t have friends over, you’re so annoying.”

Jun beams,

“I know. They don’t mind, do they?”

Seokmin glances at Minghao, smiling apologetically as he shakes his head, barely holding back a snort. Mingyu cackles, Minghao glares,

“Oh, Gyu, didn’t you have something you wanted to ask Minnie?”

Seokmin’s eyes widen as he looks over, Mingyu notices that his hair is starting to fluff up as it dries and it’s so cute he’s not even mad at Minghao for ruining his nonexistent suave asking-out plan.

“Uh… Do you want to, um, have chicken sometime this week?”

Seokmin cocks his head, his eyes narrowing slightly as he searches for something in Mingyu’s face. Mingyu tries not to panic as he watches a familiar touch of caution settle into his features.

“Sure, that um… That sounds nice. Just text me when you’re free.”

Mingyu nods, hiding his combined excitement and panic in a massive bite of beef and cabbage. Jun shoots him a wink and Mingyu chokes, doubling over as Minghao thumps his back.

They end up on the couch after dinner, watching a game show that no one understands while Jun and Minghao clean up in the kitchen. Seokmin giggles sleepily, the sound close enough to Mingyu’s ear that he can feel his breath feather across it, he looks over and Seokmin turns. Mingyu’s heart thuds faster, he’s so close that Mingyu could count his eyelashes if he wanted to, can see the small divot his teeth leave in his plush lower lip as he nibbles at it. He’s so beautiful, it’s dizzying.

Mingyu’s voice is rougher than he’d like it to be, he speaks to Seokmin’s lips, looking up at the last second to catch the flush that blooms across his high cheekbones,

“Should we go? Are you tired?”

Seokmin stares and Mingyu notices his breathing pick up, well that makes two of them,

“I… Sure…”

He turns away, the tendons in his long neck flaring as he takes a deep breath. Mingyu looks to the kitchen, cheeks burning when he looks straight at Jun, who quirks a brow and grins,

“Want a ride home?”

Just as they’re pulling up to Seokmin’s apartment Mingyu turns, reaching for his arm before he can get too scared and back out,

“I’m free tomorrow, do you want to come over then?”

Seokmin’s blush bleeds into his ears, he watches Mingyu’s hand release and nods,

“Yeah, that works.”

Mingyu doesn’t miss the tension that’s seeped into his movement as he steps out of the car, bending to wave before his closes the door and books it inside. Mingyu gasps once he disappears, finally remembering to breath, Jun beams,

“Good job!”

Mingyu groans, smiling when Minghao giggles and turns to ruffle his hair.

He spends the night working his anxiety out in a cleaning frenzy, vacuuming, dusting, and wiping down every surface he can find. He even washes his sheets, though that’s more out of hope than he’d like to admit. Sleep doesn’t come easily that night, the excited flutter in his chest forcing him to spend much of the night tossing and turning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, thank you to everyone who reads and puts up with my word vomit! I love you so much!  
> I've never written anything this long so I don't really know what I'm doooing.
> 
> Also, I'm updating a lot this week cause idk if I'll be able to write much soon, hopefully I'll still have time for it, but my life is going to be very busy soon  
> 💖💖


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chicken Date Chicken Date Chicken Date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a new chapter :3
> 
> I am slowly looooosing my mind,  
> Thanks for keeping up with me 💖

Mingyu spends most of the day expending a ridiculous amount of energy to panic about all sorts of things: whether or not his apartment is clean enough, or if it’s too clean and it’s obvious that he’s spent time cleaning, what to wear, is Seokmin going to call and randomly cancel on him? What will he do then? Also, if everything goes south, who will he call to come rescue him? How will he manage going to work if it turns out he’s been completely misreading everything and Seokmin actually secretly hates him? 

He glances at the clock, swallowing a nervous lump as he watches the minute change, they hadn’t set a time, but it’s getting to be late afternoon, so Seokmin will probably come over in the next hour or so. He’s so nervous, he doesn’t think he’s been this nervous for a date since college.

He’s standing in the living room, hugging his comforter to his chest as he debates leaving it on the sofa or taking it back to his bedroom, when his phone rings. He dives for it, taking a couple deep breathes as he lets it ring a few more times, he doesn’t want to come off too eager,

“Hi!”

Well, there goes that.

Seokmin giggles and Mingyu has to keep himself from squealing, he takes another deep breath, smiling so hard his cheeks hurt as Seokmin’s laugh trails into a warm hum,

“Hi Gyu.”

He has another giggle fit and Mingyu stamps around in a little circle, so happy that he’s gone lightheaded.

“Um… This might be overkill, but I got a small cake cause I felt bad about invading your house again. You’re not allergic to anything, right?”

Mingyu looks around his living room, as if his TV is going to remind him of his medical history,

“Not that I know of. That’s great, I love cake!”

Seokmin chuckles, Mingyu hears his slippers scuffing the floor followed by the crinkling of a paper bag, he sinks onto his sofa, picking at a loose thread on his comforter,

“Also, you’re not invading my house. I invited you over, I want you to be here.”

Seokmin’s laugh comes off a little nervous, Mingyu pulls the thread until it snaps.

“When do you want to head over? I’m ok with whenever.”

Seokmin hums, Mingyu hears his slippers scuffing around again,

“Hm, I kind of want to walk over when the sun’s still out, so maybe I’ll head out in like ten, fifteen minutes?”

Mingyu glances at his clock, then out the window, where the winter sun is peeking through the clouds, skirting the city skyline as it sinks towards the horizon,

“Sure, yeah, I’ll see you then.”

Seokmin hums in place of a goodbye. Mingyu stares at his phone once the line goes dead, taking a couple more deep breaths before he gets up and takes the comforter to his room, fussing with it before he gives up and leaves it half folded back on itself on the bed. He does a last minutes check for anything that looks like it needs putting away, then spends longer than he’ll admit to anyone making sure there’s nothing in his teeth, ruffling his hair until in settles into a shape he likes. He sends a nervous text to Minghao, who sends him a cheering frog sticker and a little heart.

The whole ordeal still leaves him with a couple minutes until Seokmin arrives, he lays on his sofa, staring at the ceiling as his anxious thoughts pick up again. There’s one thing that weighs on his mind heavier than everything else, he didn’t tell Seokmin that this is a date, he sighs, too tired to think of solutions. He’ll think of something if the need arises.  
The doorbell rings and Mingyu nearly falls off the sofa in his scramble to get up, he forces himself to walk to the door instead of running, taking one last reassuring breath before he pulls the door open. Seokmin jumps, eyes blowing wide before he takes a deep breath and beams, lower lip pulling between his teeth as he peers at Mingyu through his lashes,

“Hi.”

“Hey.”

Mingyu doesn’t know what to do with his hands, so he shoves them in his pockets, feeling slightly foolish as he bends to the side to usher Seokmin in. Mingyu’s head spins when Seokmin passes by and he gets a whiff of his cologne, that’s interesting, he’s dressed pretty casually, and he wasn’t wearing cologne yesterday. Mingyu watches him bend to pull his shoes off, grateful that Seokmin can’t see him giving his ass and thighs an appreciative once-over.

Seokmin steps up out of the entryway, turning and waiting for Mingyu to take the lead as he shrugs his coat off. There’s a hint of intention in his outfit, his dark jeans are loose, but they cling to his hips nicely and show off his proportions well, and his heavy t-shirt frames his broad shoulders just so. Mingyu wonders if Minghao had a hand in the outfit, he doesn’t doubt that Seokmin can dress himself up nicely, but the lack of bagginess in the overall silhouette screams Minghao.

Seokmin smiles, quirking a brow and running his hand through his hair as Mingyu realizes he’s been staring for too long. He takes the cake bag, rounding the counter to put some space between them as he pulls out his phone,

“I thought we could order from the same place as last time? Does that sound ok?”

Seokmin nods, pressing his lips together as he looks around,

“Sounds great. Did you clean? You’re really out to make me look bad, aren’t you?”

Mingyu tries to will his blush away, stammering as he puts in their order,

“I might’ve… I, uh… I tidied up a little. I didn’t have the energy for it yesterday.”

Seokmin chuckles and Mingyu wants to drink the sound, he leads them to the sofa, staring at his feet the whole way. The awkward silence permeating the room is so thick it’s almost tangible, Mingyu glances up, feeling his mouth twitch as Seokmin’s eyes curve, crinkling in the corners as he giggles,

“This is awkward, isn’t it?”

Mingyu nods, relieved to see Seokmin relax into the sofa as he laughs,

“Y-yeah it is, um… So, how are you?”

Seokmin folds his legs onto the couch, his cheek squishing against the back of the sofa as he leans, Mingyu’s breath gets stuck in his throat,

“I’m good, pretty much exactly the same as yesterday. You?”

Mingyu lets himself slouch, the little demon in his head purring when Seokmin’s eyes dart to the hem of his shirt, which has ridden up a bit,

“I’m good too.”

Seokmin beams and Mingyu loses control of his mouth for a second,

“Why’d you agree to come over? You haven’t for a while.”

Seokmin’s smile drops, Mingyu watches the light dance across his cheekbones as he scans Mingyu’s face,

“Never mind, sorry, stupid question.”

Seokmin tilts his head, lips parting slightly as his brows settle into an irritated straight line, it’s ridiculously attractive. Mingyu looks away, goosebumps pricking the back of his neck when Seokmin sighs, his mind reels in a different conversation topic,

“Channie’s doing well, I’m glad he’s enjoying himself.”

Seokmin smiles,

“He is, I’m so proud of him! He asked if I’d write him a letter of reference if he needs one later, and I definitely will, I just don’t want him to leave.”

Mingyu nods, he doesn’t really want any of the interns to leave, maybe they can petition Seungcheol for them,

“I was honestly a little jealous, I kind of wanted an intern. But then I really thought about it and I don’t think I’d be a good mentor.”

Seokmin frowns,

“Why not? I think you’d be great.”

Mingyu sits up a little, Seokmin flushes,

“You get along with them really well and quickly! And all you really need to be a mentor or teacher is enthusiasm for what you do, which you have tons of.”

Mingyu tries not to preen too obviously, Seokmin grins. In the orange glow he literally looks like he’s being kissed by the sun, its warmth catching on his cheekbones and the slope of his nose, running down the graceful length of his neck, his lips look so soft.

The doorbell rings, Mingyu tries to blink himself out of his stupor, but fails when Seokmin giggles. He watches Mingyu stand and motion vaguely towards the door,

“Uh, I guess that’s dinner.”

The smell of the chicken that’s handed off to him gets Mingyu’s brain working again, he grabs an extra wad of napkins from the kitchen, handing them to Seokmin to hold while he pulls the coffee table closer to the sofa.

They crunch away in silence for a while. Mingyu watches Seokmin nibble a bit of sticky sauce off his thumb, grinning sheepishly when Seokmin looks up and scrunches his nose. He looks like he’s going to say something then decides not to, picking up another chicken piece, careful to not get sauce on his face as he takes a bite.

Mingyu looks away as Seokmin sucks his fingers clean, leaning back and stretching, feeling happy now that he’s full,

“Cake?”

Seokmin laughs, tearing open a complimentary wet wipe and using it to get the last of the sticky residue off his hands,

“Sure, dessert right away seems like a good idea to me.”

Mingyu can’t tell if that was supposed to be sarcastic or not, but he wants cake now, so he gets up and jogs to the kitchen, collecting forks, plates, and a knife to bring back with him. Seokmin clears the chicken mess into the bag it came in, shoving it to the side to make space. He watches Mingyu carefully fold the cakebox down, holding a flap that keeps springing back up when Mingyu whines at it.

“It’s a strawberry whipped cream cake, it seemed safe.”

Mingyu giggles, concentrating on sliding a slice off the knife cleanly,

“It’s great, there are no bad cakes.”

Seokmin laughs, accepting the offered plate with a grin,

“Agreed.”

Seokmin gets a smudge of cream stuck in the corner of his mouth from his first bite, Mingyu feels his brain disconnect from his body as his thumb darts out to wipe it away.

“Sorry… you had…”

Seokmin’s cheeks go a little pink, he shakes his head. Mingyu shoves a huge bite in his mouth to shut himself up.

They finish their cake, and Mingyu has seconds, and then he doesn’t know what else to do so he offers Seokmin some wine, which he accepts but barely touches. Mingyu resolves to tell Seokmin how he feels, but he hasn’t figured out how he’s going to do that, and he’s starting to worry that Seokmin will go home before he can tell him. He clears his throat, heart fluttering away as Seokmin looks up,

“Coco went home?”

Seokmin beams, shifting so he’s sitting cross-legged, Mingyu feels the familiar desire to touch seep into his bones.

“Yeah, she went home on Tuesday. I think she really liked you.”

Mingyu’s heart soars, Seokmin chuckles, shrinking back ever so slightly when Mingyu turns and leans his head on a hand, elbow resting on the top of the sofa. He tries not to let himself gloat, he knows what it does to his arms, and he caught the way Seokmin’s eyes slid over his chest,

“That’s good, I like her too.”

He’s only partially focusing on their conversation now, busy dragging his eyes over every visible inch of Seokmin. Seokmin watches him warily, teeth digging into his lower lip as he tilts his head in a silent question. The air seems to thicken. Seokmin hums and the sound spears right through Mingyu’s gut, he looks away, out the window, his pristine profile glowing in the soft city lights.

“Seokmin?”

Mingyu’s voice is gentler than he’d expected, Seokmin turns and Mingyu freezes, he looks scared and more fragile than a crystalline strand of spun sugar,

“Yes?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 💖


End file.
